


Burning Tragedy

by tinykeet



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, I have NO IDEA of how tags work here, In this house we hate canon, Light Angst, More characters to be added, Romance, Self-Indulgent, as well as tags, looot of headcanons, yeah very self indulgent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:48:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 36,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27285928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinykeet/pseuds/tinykeet
Summary: As the Order of Heroes watches carefully over a worryingly quiet Embla, strange dreams reach their Summoner, Kitsune, before a guest arrives at their door, asking desperately for help. After taking the decision of helping Nifl and Princess Fjorm, the Order leaves for a long travel filled with obstacles and fights through the destroyed Ice Kingdom invaded by Muspell, the Flame Kingdom.
Relationships: Hríd/Summoner | Eclat | Kiran
Comments: 20
Kudos: 5





	1. Where Everything Starts

**Author's Note:**

> H- Hello. I am very. Unconfident with posting this but... Here it is.  
> This is basically a whole rewriting of the FEH Book II because. Let's be honest, it's just bleh. So my anger for the canon and love for the Nifleses made me write this furiously. But with my own Summoner, Kitsune. She's a dork, and stupid, but I love her. The truth being that I hesitated a whole lot, wondering if I should change her name to Kiran but... I decided to leave that like it was. I also pretty much imagined everything and put a lot of headcanons in the construction of this Zenith but hopefully it will be understandable.  
> We don't start in Nifl just like in the book, there's a part in Askr at the beginning. The main pair won't meet before some chapters too ehe. Oh and there are pretty much a lot of secondary original characters, but we'll see that further in the book, if I ever have the courage to finish it *laughs*  
> English isn't my first language, so there may be mistakes and bad sentences, please excuse me. I'm trying to learn gh.

"Help us."

Kitsune opened her eyes groggily, raising and standing sat on her bed. She yawned and wiped off her eyes, silently.

...

What a strange dream. Someone has been calling for her name. She couldn't distinguish anyone really, but she was mostly recognizing a woman's tone. She decided to put her clothes on, and checked her phone. It was around 7am apparently. Surprised by how early she raised, she quitted her room slowly, to head over to the kitchen. She was aware that most of the Heroes woke up way earlier than her, but Alfonse learned his lesson that waking her up at 5am was completely useless as he would more like taking up a magic spell of her freaking magic book as if she was in a game. Pew pew. The said book was laying on her wooden end table right next to her bed with her phone on it. She didn't need any of it, for now. Her magical gun who shot Heroes, literally, was also laying on her desk. Anna did call this relic Breidablik, but she just called it "magic gun", because she still couldn't understand how the Askrans didn't know how guns worked with a literal gun in their own hands. Maybe because it wasn't shooting bullets. Lost in her thoughts, she arrived at the quiet kitchen, where she found some maids there. The oldest scolded her for trying to prepare her breakfast, telling her that it was her own job to do that, which resulted in Kitsune sticking her tongue out to the woman as she turned her back to her. The other maid chuckled before returning to work.   
So the breakfast was already in the dining room? She wondered if she'd eat alone. Maybe, since most of the Heroes were waking up way too early for her. When she arrived, she found some of the children eating. Well, children was maybe not the good word. Tiki and Myrrh were eating some strawberry jam toasts together. On the other side, Klein was watching over the two Morgan's lessons session. Making up a total of five Heroes in the room, everyone being outside probably. The blonde lady saluated them. 

"Lady Kitsune!"  
Tiki waved at her, and the woman sighed while smiling.  
"Tiki, I told you to drop the formal part..." 

She wasn't used at all, and still isn't used to being called that way. She wasn't a noble nor anything. Just a normal student girl being taken over a fantasy medieval world with literal dragons, wyverns, pegasus and fucking magic. Wow. 

"Oops sorry! Prince Alfonse told me that he was looking for you. He said that huuh, you should meet him at... At..."  
The girl apparently struggled to remember what he told, when Myrrh looked up to Kitsune.

"He told us that you should meet him at the training fields. He's waiting for you." Kitsune couldn't keep her sigh from staying inside her body. Oh great. Mr Blue Haired Lord Number 6 wanted to train again. 

"All right, I'll go. Thank you you two. And be careful with jam, don't make your clothes dirty. Felicia had a bad time washing them last time."  
They both nodded and went back to their toasts as Kitsune sat down, saluating Klein, but also Innes and Ephraim that just entered to drink some water before going back to training, and she ate in silence her breakfast.

Some 20 minutes later, she left the dining room, heading over outside to the training fields. The castle was surrounded by them, and they were always used. Either by some Askran soldiers, or by some Heroes. Kitsune has summoned way too many people to remember precisely the number, but the castle and its surroundings were always in activity. Even during the late night, there was someone bold enough to actually train. Kitsune didn't like to train. She was a sporty girl, yes. In her realm, she was taking regular swimming lessons with some horse riding and that explained why part of her body was pretty much muscular, but the training here was so much different than the sport in her world. 

It was painful first, way more than swimming or horse riding, second, she hated, oh she hated so much running. She was only good at taking sprints. Third, learning to main a melee weapon wasn't just her thing. She learned how to use magic, and yet Alfonse still wanted her to train to use another weapon, which resulted in her swinging the said weapon everywhere but in the training dummy. Fourth, the main reason actually, she was just extraordinarily lazy, and she developed her own strategies to hide so the Askran prince couldn't find her. Kaze taught her how to "correctly" climb at trees (well. At least how to get up and hide in the leaves, she wasn't very good at the "getting down" part. Thank god Tibarn and the herons were here.) and showed her most of the hiding spots around the forest. Alfonse was giving up easily when it was about this Hide and Seek game.

Eventually, the Summoner made it through the fields, watching for some moments some of the Heroes training harder than ever. It had been 2 weeks since Embla, the Kingdom at the North, didn't move. No signs with the frontiers, no attacks, no replies. The patrols were coming back without anything to report and the three Askrans were really anxious, doubting an attack would come soon. That is why Sharena asked all the heroes kindly to train for when the moment would come, they'd be ready. She didn't ask them to put that much energy though… Kitsune guessed that they decided themselves to fight more than anything to free their companions from being slaves to Embla. The blonde lady was admiring them. She really couldn't compare herself to them, and yet she was the chosen one, the so-called "Great Hero". Yes she could summon Heroes, yes, those strategy games she played a lot during school breaks were also paying when it came to lead an army (though there were much more brilliant heads to help with that).   
Yes… She could ride a pegasus and throw some magic? But her attacks weren't powerful at all. All she knew was that she was a pretty good defensive wall. Her tome granted her shields, and that was very useful against both melee and range hits.   
She found Alfonse training with a wooden sword. His actual sword, Folkvangr, was carefully put on the bench behind the field. He was training alone, pretty much as always. After all, he was a bit solitary. To not say a bit annoying.

"You shouldn't be friends with the Heroes. Who knows what could happen from a day to another."  
Kitsune sighed again while thinking about his words, then thought for a moment about how his sister Sharena was his actual opposite. She was always befriending new Heroes. The princess was beautiful and full of life, and Kitsune liked her a lot. She was one of her best fighters too. The prince stopped, noticing her, and put aside the sword, his face sweating a little.

"Ah, good morning Kitsune, you're finally here."

The prince nodded to salute her, and she returned his nod with a small smile. Even if he was pretty much distant and serious, she liked him. She understood why he was like this with his story with Zacharias… He had a kind heart and a strong sense of justice.

"Hello Alfonse. Tiki and Myrrh told me you were looking for me? Do you want to train?"  
The blue haired man shook his head, taking a towel to wipe his sweat and then putting again on his golden armor.

"No, I wanted to show you something else today. You asked to know more about the geography of Zenith right? I would like you to follow me at the library."  
Kitsune tilted her head on the side, curious. She did say she was interested in this. In fact, she wanted to know about the other Kingdoms surrounding Askr and Embla. As the Prince departed, she followed him quickly, pretty excited about what he was going to teach her. If she hated physical training, she enjoyed a whole lot learning about Alfonse's lessons about his world. It was just fascinating, and she was surprised more and more as he was showing her things.   
The two were making their way towards the library as the sun was shining strongly right above them, in its zenith.


	2. Alert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kitsune tells about her dreams to the Askran Trio after getting one once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Switching from a merely 1.4k chapter to a 5k chapter lmao thats a huge thing

As the two arrived in the library, they found some of the mages and mostly strategists studying quietly. Alfonse made a "shh" mimic with his finger on his lips, as if to remind her again and again to not make too many noises. She rolled her eyes back, a bit bored that he thought she wouldn't respect the rule over again. There were… Pretty much a lot of people studying. Kitsune could spot Robin, the woman with silver hair and a long dark purple cloak identical to her son's one was reading a book about blue magic (which was in fact a book about electric magic). Next to her was Soren, the main strategist of Ike's group, Greil's Mercenaries. The long green haired man had a big crush on his commander although he would absolutely deny that with a blush on his cheeks. Kitsune would chuckle and tease him at that after for some minutes before watching him walking away, saying that she was just imagining things. 

She was glad that in this medieval world, all form of loves were accepted, and not like in her own world, where in medieval times and still even today, the religion kept the sexuality chained and being seen with someone from the same sex could be punished with a death sentence.   
The Summoner shivered while passing her gaze on the other Heroes. 

She could spot Corrin, with his daughter Kana. The pointy eared man was reading quietly to her some old tales of Askr, which seemed to passionate the little girl how her eyes were shining. Kitsune smiled, heartwarmed by this scene. Summoning Kana has been Corrin's best moment in his life, or almost at least. Though she wasn't able yet to summon her mother. She tried but the gun wouldn't cooperate… Some tables away, she found Lyn, discussing something with Cordelia. A rare pair that Zenith made pretty close, Kitsune would say. They weren't from the same world. Since they were a bit further than the other and were also kinda quiet in their discussion to not bother the other, the Summoner couldn't hear what they were talking about. Finally, and surprisingly, she found Sothe, reading a book about what apparented to be the different kinds of daggers you could find in every world. That thing must have interested him a whole lot considering how focused he was in his reading. Normally, Sothe would train with Gaius, Kagero and Matthew, they loved making races in the trees (Kitsune still didn't know how they weren't falling with gravity). Her scan was interrupted by the sight of Alfonse sitting at a 2 persons table, with a pile of books next to him. He was staring at her with those dark blue eyes, as if he was asking her what she was doing. She returned his gaze, then sat. Next to them was a wall, so they couldn't really be bothered. Alfonse didn't tend to talk too quietly when he was focused, and Kitsune needed to hear him correctly. The woman took her notebook almost already full of notes from the prince's lessons.

"Sorry I was watching the people who were sitting. It's rare to spot Sothe somewhere else than in the forest or to Micaiah's sides."  
The prince had a surprised look on his face. He knew Kitsune was a very observative person, but had she been paying such careful attention to each Heroes? Who knew. But apparently, the prince was also surprised by Sothe's presence. He then smiled.  
"It doesn't hurt him to change his routine, I guess."

Ah, that was the face she liked to see. Kitsune was proud of herself with each smile the prince would make. She and Sharena tried their best, even if this was pretty difficult. The Summoner took her place in front of Alfonse.  
"So! What's the lesson today?"  
Her gaze was focused on the book Alfonse just opened in front of her. There was some kind of writing (She had a lot of difficulties reading Askran, even if she was slowly learning. It was already a miracle that everyone talked the same language despite not being literally from the same world…) on the left page, and some images on the right one.

"Alright let's start. This is the introduction to the world of Zenith's composition.”  
He turned the book towards her so she could mostly see the images, as she couldn’t really read. But her mind was somewhere else...  
“I still can’t understand how we speak all the same language, but we don’t have the same writing. How is that possible? Is there magic that goes above the laws of languages?”

Alfonse chuckled, slightly amused by the question she asked almost 20 times since she arrived almost a year ago.  
“Your mind still refuses to believe what I’ve told you for a year now? In Zenith, there is a power left by the Dragon Gods that founded each kingdom. Even if some didn’t really get along with the other, they acknowledged a power flowing through the world, a power that could make us able to understand each other despite whichever kingdom or country or even worlds we came from. But everyone speaks in its native language still, it's just that the magic within the air translates to the ears of everyone else, into a new language that everyone can understand, so there’s no confusion. It still makes that when someone from another country speaks, they have an accent. Yours is still audible, but the more you talk the less I hear it. Is… This language present in your realm? Because you seem way more used to it than the others...”  
The prince asked, curious. Well, she definitely told him that there were more than 190 countries in her world, but she didn’t recall telling him about english.

“Yes, more than present. It’s one of the most spoken languages in my world. Though it’s not my native one, I do speak it pretty well I’d say, so maybe that is why my accent is slowly disappearing? After all, when you’re thrown into a new country to learn their language, nothing’s better than speaking it to be able to talk it perfectly.”  
The prince hummed in understanding. She knew he was more than curious about her world and wished he could visit it, but Kitsune was more… Against this. Yes, her world could be beautiful with amazing technologies and landscapes, with immense cities, but it also had a very dark part. Uncivilized people, pollution, destruction of the Earth, the country’s leaders caring only about money, genocides and slavery, mass production by using poor people and under paying them… Yes, it was better for now to stay in there. This realm was really better, not only for her, but also for them.

“Alright, let’s get back to the lesson.”  
He interrupted her thoughts, pointing at the images. 

“This one is Askr, this one is Embla.” He showed with his forefinger the two drawings. She could recognize those. “Then, there are eight other kingdoms in Zenith.” He pointed at a jungle-like kingdom, surrounded by tropical vegetation and a low but bulky castle. “This one is Jötun. It is a kingdom located above the West Great Ocean. The inhabitants are recognized to be strong mages and not really good melee fighters despite their giant appearance. They are specialized into magic searching and science, and are great doctors too. They aren’t interested at all in fighting for the other kingdoms though, they refused helping us with Embla…” He sighed. “This kingdom is situated in the middle of two other kingdoms, and helps to keep the “peace” between these two let’s say. In the North, we have the kingdom of Nifl. It is called the Ice Kingdom, due to its harsh winter temperature. It snows there everyday, even in summer, and polar lights cross the kingdom’s sky at night. They are an amazing peaceful kingdom, but it is said that the royal family holds weapons that are able to freeze the strongest enemy.” Kitsune watched the drawing showing an… Ice? Almost a glass castle, which was shining with the sun. She had to admit it was beautiful, with the snow covering the city around and this sky with dawn colors. “At the south of Jötun, there’s the literal opposite to Nifl. This kingdom is Muspell. The Fire Kingdom.”  
Kitsune tilted her head to the side.

“Is it called like this because unlike Nifl, it has harsh summer temperatures?”  
The princes nodded. “Indeed. But it’s only in the very south of the country. The north of the kingdom being hot, yes, but mostly bearable. It more deserves this name because Muspell is a very volcanic region, and the number of volcanoes there in activity is the highest than to any other kingdoms in Zenith. It is a very harsh earth, with lava and enormous rock valleys. Muspell is a very… Let’s say… Invasive country. Their King has a strong thirst of conquest. Their advantage and most strong units are their wyvern riders and fire mages. Fortunately, Jötun keeps an eye on them so they won’t declare war on Nifl.”

Kitsune hummed. So that kingdom in the middle, Jötun, was a kind of barrier between Muspell and Nifl, keeping the one to attack the other… It must be stressful to be a Jötunian. The drawing of Muspell was showing an enormous dark castle inside a volcano and surrounded in lava. As if it was hell… Alfonse continued his lesson.  
“There, isolated on an island in the Nordic Ocean, far away from the East and West continent, is Midgard. This country is mostly populated by manaketes that live far away from humans that once chased them, although it was long ago. They still refuse to interact with us and act as if they weren’t existing… We don’t really know a lot of things about them.” The prince showed a drawing of a castle built right near an immense cliff. Clouds were surrounding it, as if it was hiding it. “Then, there is a kingdom at the south of Askr, we share a frontier with. This kingdom is called Vana. They are pretty much a peaceful kingdom, similar to us. They try to help us a bit with the war with Embla, but their army isn’t really developed due to their peaceful nature.” 

Kitsune nodded, thinking about how this world was rather really peaceful unlike her own. Yes, war happened, but it was almost each 200 years, even more, Alfonse told her, unlike in her own realm which hasn’t known worldwide peace for at least 30 years.  
“For the three next kingdoms… They aren’t on land itself.” The summoner looked at him.  
“What do you mean?” Alfonse thought about how he could form his sentences. “Let’s say that you can’t find them in this world, rather, under, or above. They are more of legends than reality though, since no humans went there and came back to say how it is. Underground, in the heart of the earth, there is Hel. The realm of the dead. It is said that their ruler is Death itself, and no one can escape them. Above, in the high sky, are supposed to be two kingdoms, floating in the clouds. The first one is Ljósálfheimr, the realm of dreams, supposedly situated in the south of Zenith, the other, in the North, Dökkálfheimr, the realms of nightmares. But again, these ones are mythics.”

He turned the page, showing her a map of Zenith’s world. Kitsune could see the six “land” Kingdoms clearly, at the west, east, north and south. The names of the three “mythics” kingdoms were written in the middle of the map, in the Great West Ocean for Hel, and the two dreams and nightmares kingdoms were situated at each polar pole. Kitsune found amusing that this world wielded names from Nordic mythology from her own realm. She did not comment on that.

Once the lesson was done, they left to take their break and eat, the rest of the day passing peacefully as they were all doing their chores.   
Kitsune eventually went to sleep when the night came, thinking about all the kingdoms outside of Askr and Embla. She was very curious about them, wanting to know even more about them…

\-------------------------

“Oh Great Hero, please lend us your strength. We need you. Muspell… They are…”  
It was very foggy. The blonde lady couldn’t see anything but a form.  
“What? Who? Who’s talking?”  
She asked hesitantly, walking slowly forwards in the fog towards the form. At her feet was… Ice? Snow? She didn’t know.   
“The War has begun. We cannot do anything. Please help us. Please…”

The voice started to fade.  
“Wait! Please wait! Who are you? I need to know if you want me to help!” Kitsune semi closed her eyes to focus on the form, and she could distinguish something. A… Golden kind of snowflake with a slightly lighter golden stripe inside. That looked very similar to Embla and Askr’s insignia… And… Wait. She did see this somewhere. She couldn’t really remember though.  
“Wait! Don't go!”

The Summoner opened her eyes, gaze fixed on her room’s ceiling. She was alone, in Askr. No more fog, no more snow, just her in her bedsheets. Checking the hour on her phone, it was almost 6am. Wow, this dream really woke her up that early huh… Shaking softly her head and scratching her blond hair, she tried to analyze the dream she just had with the previous one. Someone -she couldn’t see who- called for her help. By judging the tone of the voice, it was a woman, with a snowflake insignia… Oh yes, the insignia. She has seen this insignia somewhere. And… Muspell? Wasn’t that one of the kingdoms on the Western Continent? The Kingdom of Flames? She jumped out of her bed quickly, putting on her coat and immediately heading to the library.   
There, she looked for the book Alfonse used yesterday for the lesson. It was somewhere here. She watched each page carefully, and then finally stopped on the one starring Nifl. The insignia. The insignia was the same as in the book. So the person calling her for help… Was a Niflese? Since this arrived two times, she doubted that it was random. Plus, dreams are made from memories, and she was absolutely certain she never went to Nifl nor heard about it until Alfonse taught her yesterday. And Muspell… Alfonse told her that they were a powerful kingdom that wanted to conquer their neighbors. 

“The War has begun.” The voice said. Could that be… A war was happening on the Western Continent? But how did this apparently Niflese appear in her dreams? Was that a kind of power? She thought about it when a sudden voice made her jump in surprise.

“Kitsune! Gooood morning! You’re up early today!”  
After taking her breath back, the woman turned back, only to find Sharena, the Askran princess and Alfonse’s younger sister warmly smiling at her, her green eyes shining.  
“Hello Sharena… What are you doing in there?”

The Summoner tilted her head on the side, watching the princess apparently looking for some books on the full shelves. She was trying to catch one that was too high for her.   
“Alfonse sent me… Nghhh! Getting a book… Hurf… For him so he could study it later…”   
Her hand raised above and slightly jumping trying to catch the book, Kitsune chuckled, getting up and, behind her, caught the oh so desired by the princess book. Sharena watched her above, surprised.  
“It’s unfair Kit! You are taller!”

The blonde lady let escape a laugh.   
“My, Princess, maybe you should drink more soup to be able to grow up more.” She said with a chuckle, giving her the book. The princess pouted then took the book while mumbling a small “thank you” and running away towards the main doors leading to the training fields. Oh yes, speaking of Alfonse, maybe she had to talk about that with him. But first… She looked at the book, more precisely at how Nifl was written, so she could look for more books. Her notes on Askran writing were in her room, so she had to take back the books to her room.   
After 10 minutes, she had 3 books focusing on Nifl. Well, she certainly hoped Embla wouldn’t attack, because she had some reading to do. Precisely, the reading wasn’t really the problem, it was more the understanding that was. Decrypting a language she couldn’t fully understand was amusing, but it took really a lot of time. She turned back. No one was there in the library yet, they were probably either eating or doing morning patrols. Usually, the Heroes arrived at the library around 6:45am, when all the patrols returned. It’s been a little while since Alfonse sent Kitsune on patrol. But that was for the better, most of the time she was sleeping in, because of how lazy she was. On her way back to her room, she came across Celica and Eirika, who were walking towards the dining room followed closely by Minerva. It was good to see Minerva not training for her brother again and taking some breaks to talk and be with the other Heroes. Kitsune was amazed at such dedication to someone from the same family. 

Sure she loved her parents and her sister back there but… Maybe she wouldn’t go as far and kill for them. She saluted the three princesses, before reaching her own room, still holding closely the books. Alfonse wouldn’t want her to lose them, nor damage them, so she was being careful. Once inside, she put the three books on her bed, sighing slowly. Now what? Well, she was going to probably stay inside all day trying to read whatever was about Nifl that could help her understand her dreams. 

After almost an hour, she found nothing really helpful yet, but her stomach grumbled loudly. Freak. She was so deep in her research she hasn’t noticed how loud her belly was. She was definitely hungry. She stood up, sighing. Okay, maybe this was the time to go tell Alfonse about her dreams and theories. But would he trust her? Was this even making sense?   
“Hello! So you see the kingdom you talked about to me yesterday? Nifl right, well someone is trying to ask for my help as if there was a war ravaging their kingdom and they couldn’t do anything about it in my dreams!”

…

Kitsune sighed. Alfonse was cleverer than that to trust this. Idiot. She scratched her hair, thinking about how possibly she could tell him… Wait a minute. Oh, how dumb she was. Once again she forgot that magic was an actual thing in this realm. That was making things easier. And yet still, Askr had their own war with Embla. Would Alfonse really allow them to help another kingdom in difficulty when their actual enemies could perfectly take advantage of this info, even with spending two weeks without attacking nor invading another world? She hoped that he would, because the situation with Embla was everything but normal to say, at least. Embla never let them breathe, always invading quickly a world and then another, making their army grow and grow, until the Order of Heroes took them out and broke their contract with Embla.

This wasn’t normal. Maybe something happened. Maybe it was linked to what was happening with Nifl and Muspel? That was a theory. She was about to get out of her room when something in the book stopped her. It was the word “Muspell” spelled in Askran. Ignoring her crying stomach, she sat down again, taking back the book. Only a small part and she’d go tell Alfonse… That couldn’t be bad could be? As she started translating the Askran into actual english, she began to be more and more doubtful about her theory.   
“Over the centuries, Jötun and Nifl tried to put some peace laws with Muspell, but none of the Muspellian leaders could accept staying governing their own kingdom. So they waited for another leader to come, stronger, without any mercy. And that is what happened with the new King of Muspel Surtr. His conquest took the neutral lands at the south of Muspell, making its own. His conquest took the neutral eastern islands, next to Jötun. Burning down everything, making everything his own terrifying the local population and the two other Kingdoms. The tensions started to grow more and more as King Surtr was threatening that he would destroy both his neighbors first and the rest of the world after. We know that soon, Jötun won’t be able to completely contain Muspell anymore. Muspell will strike again, like what happened 300 years ago, and this time, they won’t stop against neither Jötun, nor Nifl. Surtr wants the world to be his, and the Eastern Continent won’t escape his thirst of conquest.” 

That was what she finally understood after sitting there legs crossed for almost forty minutes. King Surtr huh… She looked up over the book to see the date of when it was written. The author wasn’t known (probably an Askran traveller to Nifl), but she found out the book was written 54 years ago. Just how old was King Surtr if he was still reigning over Muspell? Kitsune didn’t even really want to guess. After all there were dragons in this realm. Anyway, the infos in the book would pretty much coincide with her dreams and the actual events then… That also meant that, if a war was raging within the Western Continent and considering how Surtr wanted to conquer the whole world, Askr was also in danger. Goodness, as if Embla wasn’t enough, now a weird old man with fire powers wanted to burn down the world. She chuckled darkly as she thought about how the Second World War happened in her own world. Well, instead of there it was just pure conquest apparently. In any case there, she had to tell Alfonse immediately... After she eats something.

Walking out of the kitchen, her stomach finally satisfied, Kitsune walked out towards Alfonse’s desk room. When he wasn’t training or walking with the Heroes, he was often at his desk, studying probably. He was a hard worker after all. Arriving, she knocked, then waited for a second before hearing a “come in” coming from the other side of the door. The summoner entered the room. Two gazes laid on her. Anna and Alfonse were sitting on the sofa, books around them.   
“Hello Kitsune. Is something the matter?” The redhead asked, and Kitsune couldn’t be happier that she was here right now with him. She wouldn’t have to repeat it too much. Sharena was probably outside.  
“Well, in fact, yes, I have something to tell you both.”

The Summoner started to talk about her dreams first, about how she saw Nifl’s insignia, about how the voice mentioned a war, about how they were calling for her, and about how she made her own research earlier to try and validate her theories. Alfonse looked rather quiet, even pensive when she spoke, while Anna started to worry.   
“Impossible… That means Jötun has fallen? But they developed special spells against Muspell’s army…”  
The blond lady watched her. “We don’t really know if a war is actually happening or not. I must get more information from the woman in my dreams.” She sighed. Alfonse looked then at Kitsune.

“You said that she appeared twice in a row in your dreams right? In that case that mustn’t be a random dream… You should definitely try to see how she looks and her name.”  
Kitsune nodded, then got up.  
“Very well… Thank you for trusting me. I will try my best to know what I can actually do…”  
That done, she left the room, leaving the two Askrans discussing what their Summoner just told them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I tend to detail a lot, and so like this I tried my best to explain how Zenith was, despite us having absolutely no infos on it. It's probably gonna be wrong veeeery soon when we'll advance in Book V and next, if they even detail it, tho.   
> Kit is very close to the Askran sibs and she'd die for them, but is pretty neutral with Anna.


	3. Outsider Princess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Princess Fjorm reaches the Order, injured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back at it again, Fjorm's arrival!

"I am glad to see you again in this place."  
The voice was still the same when Kitsune opened her eyes in the foggy place. Looking around, she could see better where she was. She was… It looked like… Inside an ice crystal? The light was going through the ice, creating beautiful color reflected on the thin layer of snow at her feet… She rubbed her eyes, noticing that she had her hood covering her face. In front of her, the fog was also disappearing, leaving place to… Well, her hood was keeping her from seeing clearly. It was a tall woman in a blue dress, holding a book. When Kitsune looked up, she noticed the Nifl insignia that was actually serving as a kind of… Huh... Hair holder? As her hair was tucked inside of it. Speaking about her hair, she had long pink hair with pastel orange tips, and her head was covered with a big white hat adorned with icy blue roses and gold embellishments. She had a kind, almost motherly blue gaze fixed on the Summoner, and a warm smile.

"Hello. Or maybe good evening. This is the first time I meet you clearly. I wasn't expecting the Great Hero to be such a young person…"  
Kitsune took off her hood, shaking her blond hair off the cape. She curiously watched the woman, and had to admit that she was beautiful.  
"You are the one calling for my help… Who are you?"

The woman placed a hand above her mouth.  
"Oh, oh silly me, I am asking something and yet gave no information about me… My name is Gunnthrà. I am Nifl's first princess. As I told you last night… The Kingdom at the South, Muspell, invaded our country by taking the path of the mountains at the west of the kingdom, and Jötun, the kingdom between us and Muspell, couldn't see this attack coming at all. They weren't prepared. The war… Or maybe the Conquest has begun. King Surtr is unstoppable. He also took in hostage the young Emblian Princess… And he doesn't plan to stop here… He will also come for the Eastern Continent. Oh Great Hero, I beg here for your help. My siblings… They are separated through the Kingdom, probably lost. King Surtr took the life of my Mother, the Queen Vína. Our army isn't strong enough to keep Muspell at distance, our capital is destroyed."

The Summoner was trying to save all these new infos in her head. So she was right. A War was declared between Nifl and Muspell. But she couldn't guess that the first princess would contact her…  
"I… I doubted that something like this arrived, when I met you in the two last dreams. Although I couldn't clear it as they lasted way less…"  
The princess, Gunnthrà, tilted her head to the side.  
"It was because you couldn't believe strongly enough to stay in the dream. I am using a power of mine called the Rite of Dreams. I am contacting you from a hidden temple in a deep ice cavern, far from the capital and normally, Muspell's army. After the beginning of the invasion, my younger sister, Fjorm, left Nifl to ask for help to Askr."

Kitsune paused for a moment. The second princess was coming to Askr? Since how many days had this war begun? Since how many days was the princess walking alone (to not attire Muspell's attention) through her devastated kingdom to beg for some help Askr may even refuse her?  
"If that is true, then she hasn't arrived yet. Princess… Gunnthrà? I am sorry for being late for receiving this information. I talked to the Order of Heroes, our army, about a possible war between Muspell and Nifl, and the Commander didn't seem to not want help despite our war with Embla. Plus, if princess Veronica has been caught… Then that explains the sudden silence from Embla. I promise I will do everything in my power to take your sister with us and send some of our army to Nifl to help you…"

The princess became suddenly serious, approaching the Summoner and gripping her hands strongly.   
"Thank you… Thank you so much, Great Hero."  
Kitsune could see tears at the corner of her eyes.  
"Please call me Kitsune, Princess."  
Quickly, she thought about something.  
"If the Rite of Dreams doesn't take too much of your energy, I would like you to communicate with me to send me news about Muspell's army's moves. Please stay safe and hidden. I'll tell you about Princess Fjorm's arrival…"

The Princess had tears rolling down her cheeks, apparently really relieved, when she nodded.  
"Until the next time, Miss Kitsune."  
She smiled warmly again at her, the crystal around her slowly beginning to disappear…

"Kitsune!"  
She was woken up being shaken.  
"Hu-huh?" The young woman opened her hazel eyes, getting up, when she found the green gaze of Sharena fixed inside her own.  
"Kitsune! This is an emergency… Someone from Nifl arrived! She claims to be princess Fjorm from Nifl and asked for help before falling unconscious… She is seriously hurt, we need your help!"

During the next 10 minutes, the two women were running through the castle's corridors towards the castle's entry, the Gate. Arriving there, they found Anna and Alfonse with Lissa and Maria, surrounding a young pale blond with blue icy tips woman in clothes similar to Gunnthrà's, she recognized Nifl's insignia. Next to the woman was laying a golden and ice lance. Her body was wounded almost everywhere, but the most worrying was a terrible slash at her shoulder going down through her right arm. The wound was deep. 

"Lissa, Maria, I'm going to need your help. Let's take her to the infirmary!"  
Kitsune lifted up the unconscious woman, followed by the two healers and the three Askrans. Once in the infirmary, she put Alfonse to the door so the girls could take care of the princess.  
"My… What a terrible wound…" Maria said as she applied a healing spell that stopped from bleeding a whole less. Lissa was also choked from what she was seeing.   
"She looks like she fought a group of twenty people by herself. How did she manage to get from Nifl to Askr, considering the mountain at the western frontier near the ocean?"  
The princess asked while banding a less deep cut on the Niflese princess' left side. Her clothes were in a very bad state too… She will have to ask Flora or Jakob for their help to bring it back to normal. 

After a little while, all the princess's wounds were bandaged, and she was sleeping in the infirmary bed. She must have needed this sleep a lot. She couldn't imagine how far she walked alone during these last weeks. Maybe it has been since even more time.  
"Thank you for your help, you two." Kitsune said to the two healers. The girls smiled. "You can go take a break and bring back Alfonse in there. I think he will have some questions for when our guest will wake up."

What Kitsune didn't know was that Princess Fjorm would sleep for two days straight. During those two days Gunnthrà didn't visit her, and the Summoner started to worry a bit, because of how she promised her to tell her about Muspell's moves. Maybe they had to hide again… As she was tormenting herself with negative thoughts as always when something that was supposed to happen didn't, she bit her forefinger slightly, trying to not put too much strength in her jaw. The Summoner was sitting in one of the gardens behind the castle when Alfonse came picking her up. 

"Summoner, Princess Fjorm has awakened. We should come and ask her some questions. I may fear that you were right about that supposed war..."  
Kitsune let go of the small piece of grass she was playing with while observing the houses of the capital down there in the city and got up, brushing off a little the dirt from her white robe, and followed the Prince to the infirmary. 

Once they arrived, they found around the Niflese Sharena, who was smiling warmly at her, as if to reassure her. The pale blond princess seemed more than worried, and that was perfectly understandable seeing how injured she arrived. Kitsune sat down at Sharena’s sides, when Alfonse took the place in front of them. The prince was the first one to talk.  
“Hello. You find yourself into Askr’s royal castle. You arrived badly wounded and fell unconscious at the gate so we brought you here and healed you. Unfortunately, the injuries are pretty big. I am going to ask you to stay here for some days to regain your strength. Oh right, my name is Alfonse. The first prince of Askr and one of the leaders of the Order of Heroes. At your left is my younger sister Sharena, and our Summoner, Kitsune.” Sharena waved softly at Fjorm. “Nice to meet you!” The princess’s gaze then fell on Kitsune, shining for a moment. 

“Hi… Welcome to Askr, princess Fjorm.”  
The princess was apparently surprised. “You know who I am?” Her reaction made Kitsune chuckle slightly. “Well, before falling you told us your name. But beside that, I have been warned about your arrival.”   
The Askran siblings and the niflese princess were laying all their gaze on the Summoner, which made her a little uneasy. She still wasn't used to being the center of attention…  
"You… Knew I was coming?"  
Fjorm was the first one to talk.  
"Princess. I met your older sister, her Highness Gunnthrà, in my dreams. She explained everything that is happening right now between Nifl and Muspell and how Jötun isn't moving since they haven't been attacked yet. She told me that you were coming to Askr to find some help."

Sharena looked at Kitsune.  
"So that voice you heard in your dreams for some days… Was the first Princess of Nifl?"  
The Summoner nodded, watching Fjorm trying to follow what she just said. The princess seemed to be lost, and at the same time relieved. Probably because she wouldn't have to explain in detail why she came here.  
"I… Gunnthrà used the Rite of Dreams… So you must be…? The Great Hero…?"  
Kitsune watched once again away, a bit embarrassed.  
"I wouldn't call myself the Great Hero but… I guess that's what they all call me in this realm-"

She couldn't finish her sentence that Sharena almost blasted out like always when she was starting to say self-harmful things back when she just arrived.  
"Yes! She is the Great Hero herself! No one holds such a strong power but her. She is able to shoot Heroes from other worlds from the legendary relic! And despite coming from a magicless realm, she masters an unique tome! She also is a wonderful strategist. We cannot be more proud!"  
Kitsune could feel the heat rush to her cheeks.

"Sh… Sharena please stop… I…" The woman sighed, knowing that if she told once again that all of this wasn't true, the princess would start over with new praises she wouldn't be able to stand.  
"A… Anyways, I possibly am the one everyone calls the Great Hero."  
Fjorm sat down on the bed, her back against the wall.   
"As you already told Lady Kitsune, my name is Fjorm. I am the second princess of Nifl, the Ice Kingdom. Almost a month ago, Muspell started to invade us through the chain of mountains right behind our capital. Jötun refuses to send help before they are attacked, you know how… Selfish and not interested in the others they are."  
It apparently pained the princess to speak. Kitsune could hear her broken tone.

"King Surtr of Muspell attacked without signs. We knew he was going to attack, but we never thought he would arrive from behind. Our soldier being mostly sent at the frontier with Jötun to counter possible attacks, we weren't ready at all. He struck into the capital. Me and my siblings were separated. I managed to join my Mother, the Queen Vína, in the throne room, but… King Surtr… He was waiting for me. He killed my Mother in front of me. He slashed her almost in a half. If the soldiers didn't hold me back… I would… Probably have attacked him and died by his hands too. I ran away from the capital, ran away far, without anyone, with hope I could get some help from the Eastern Continent. It took me the whole month to come here. Please, Great Hero, Order of Heroes, lend Nifl a hand in this terrible War. Surtr… Once with my Mother's legendary lance Vegsvinn in his hands… He will… He will use it against Jötun. They aren't ready for that. Jötun doesn't know about Vegsvinn's powers... And once he will be done with the Western Continent… He will come here… To invade all the other kingdoms. You are in danger."

The princess had to take her breath with all she said. How horrible must it have been, to bear all of this in your chest for a whole lonely month running away from your own Kingdom with the frustration of not being able to do anything to help… Surviving despite being tracked and hunted down, despite having to cross a whole fucking ocean to just hope that the neighbor kingdom will help you. It was painful. Kitsune always had been very empathic, and it hit way harder in this world somehow. She felt really bad for the princess. The Summoner looked at the prince that was thinking about what he could say.  
"Alfonse."  
She watched him with a serious but pained gaze.  
"We… Are already engaged in a war…"  
Kitsune stopped him.

"Alfonse! The muspellians caught princess Veronica! That is why they haven't attacked in two weeks now. You heard her, everyone is in danger, not only Nifl. They probably hold the princess in hostage in their castle. War or not, for now, we have to help them and stop Surtr! This Princess came from probably thousand kilometers, hell, even more, to beg for some help here… Don't tell me you're gonna refuse...?"

The blue haired man was taken by surprise. It wasn't always that the Summoner intervened in matters of politics. She was more trying to avoid it in fact.   
"... Sharena, come with me, let's go reunite the Order, we need to make a pretty big team and decide who will stay."  
The blonde princess jumped from her seat.  
"Onwards big bro!"  
She said, following him happily. She waved quickly at the two women back in the room.  
"See ya later! I guess you're spared from training today Kitsune~"  
She chuckled and Kitsune couldn't help but smile, relieved but also pretty much relaxed that the distant and hard big brother accepted to help. Deep inside her, she knew he wouldn't have been able to refuse. He was too kind for this. 

Once the door closed, Kitsune heard a big sigh, a very big and long one, as if Fjorm was holding back her breath since she left Nifl. When she turned her gaze towards the princess, she could see that she was slightly shaking.  
"P… Princess? Are you okay?"  
Fjorm hiccuped slightly, and when she looked up at Kitsune, she noticed that she was crying. But not from sadness. Not only at least. Kitsune could see more than sadness. Anger… But also relief.

"I'm… I'm sorry for crying like this but… Thank you… Thank you so much Great Hero. Thank you for accepting. Nifl already owes you a debt…"  
She couldn't talk anymore, her sobbing filling the room as she was slowly losing it, not being able to hold back all this stress, anger, and fear. Watching her crying like that in despair… The Summoner couldn't. She was a princess, but… Slowly, she passed her arms around the shoulders of the crying princess, taking her against her chest and patting hesitantly on her head.  
"D… Don't be sorry Princess. It's normal for us to help. I am… Deeply sorry for your loss. I promise we will take down King Surtr…"  
And so, Fjorm cried against Kitsune's chest for ten good minutes. Once she had calmed down and her tears were almost dried, she sighed.  
"Thank you for listening to me. I know the War still is going but… You are filling me with new hope."

She smiled softly, and Kitsune felt a bit embarrassed. Once again to be trusted without even knowing each other for a day… She didn't really know what kind of hope she was, but she'd do her best to stop everything. Then, her thoughts went back to the princess.  
"Tell me princess… You said that you had siblings right? I know your older sister, but is that all?"  
Fjorm shook her head negatively.  
"No, we are 4 in the family. The oldest being Gunnthrà. She's the heir to the throne after Mother's death… Right now, I know where she is if she was able to accomplish the Rite of Dreams, which is reassuring news for me. But for the two others… I have an older brother. He is the second oldest in our line. His name is Hríd. He disappeared with my young sister, Ylgr. She is the youngest."

Kitsune hummed then tilted her head on the side.  
"... Would you mind telling me your age? All?" The princess probably wasn't expecting this question.  
"I don't. Gunnthrà is twenty-six. Hríd will turn twenty-three in some months. I am nineteen, and Ylgr is eleven."

"Eleven…" Kitsune repeated. She wasn't showing it, but horrified by the young age of the princess. Oh poor little girl… She took note of the fact that Fjorm was about the same age as Alfonse, though probably a bit younger, and that Kitsune herself was two years older than her.  
"I deeply hope that my old brother and little sister are safe in the villages of the south. I hope they are together. Otherwise… Ylgr…"  
Kitsune put a hand on the princess's shoulder, taking her out from her torments. 

"Princess, you need to sleep and rest… Worrying won't arrange anything. I am sure Princess Ylgr is okay. I don't know your older brother, but he must be a brave warrior, no? I'm sure she is safe with him."  
She smiled, and Fjorm looked down, trying to convince her with Kitsune's words. She finally nodded after sighing, then yawned.

"There, you really are tired. I am going to leave you rest. Please call any of the healers or maid if you need anything, they'll come find us and we'll be here for you. Now please, sleep."  
Kitsune got up, and slowly, got out of the infirmary, leaving the princess getting her well deserved rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess that Alfonse was right to trust Kit about what she told him about the dreams heh. And yeah she's a bit older than Fjorm...


	4. Castle Preparation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Order starts the preparations for the trip to Muspell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When you learn that english uses capital letters for adjectives with people (like. Asrkan, Niflese and all) and you have to recheck on the whole fic to correct that thanks english

Arriving in the main castle living room, Kitsune found Alfonse and Sharena surrounded by a big group of Heroes.  
"Ah, Kitsune, please come here."  
Alfonse spoke. The Summoner walked towards him, watching the Heroes discussing between them.  
"Those are the Heroes who are volontiers to come with us in Muspell. I think they are a little too much though. We need a small but powerful group, otherwise we won't be able to strike by surprise…"  
Kitsune watched over the group. They were almost thirty. Maybe they needed half of them… Could be good. She turned towards them.

"Thank you all for willing to accompany us in Muspell. Unfortunately, I will have to choose some of you, because you are too much. I will take fifteen of you."  
The Heroes focused on her as her hazel eyes spotted someone covered with long purple robes. Idunn…? She would definitely be a real help there… But the most surprising was that she came by herself here. Kitsune smiled.  
"Lady Idunn, I see you behind. You will come with us. Lady Ninian, I count on you to accompany her. For the last of the group… Myrrh, you can come too."  
The purple haired lady looked surprisingly at Kitsune before the icy blue haired woman and the small purple haired girl joined her, smiling at her. The small group walked then behind Kitsune.

"If Lady Ninian is coming, then please take me with you, Summoner."  
Kitsune recognized the voice, coming from an orange haired man.  
"Of course, Lord Eliwood, you can come. I will need some other cavalier though… Frederick, Lord Camus, and Lethe, you will also come with us."  
She counted mentally. It made 3 manaketes, 4 melee cavaliers (or. Cat if you counted the laguz). She needed infantry, bow units and fliers too.

"Lady Kitsune, would you allow us to come please?"  
The woman looked down to find Roy and Lilina together. Kitsune tilted her head on the side.  
"I'll rather have you two with Lord Hector to watch over the castle in case a Muspellian troop comes… I'll take you next time."  
Eliwood apparently approved this decision with a nod and a gaze at Hector, joined by the two who didn't seem too disappointed. Kitsune didn't want to involve young people in this.

"Robin, Kliff, please come with us. Lord Klein, Python, I also want you with me."  
The two mages and two bow users approached the group. She had 11 heroes.  
"Cherche, Princess Elincia."  
The two women joined the group with a satisfied smile.  
"And finally, Lady Ethlyn, Princess Lissa, please assist us in this journey."  
As the healers joined the group, she counted once again. They will have Sharena, Alfonse, and princess Fjorm with them (Anna insisted on staying at the castle to watch over) and herself which made 19 people. 

"All right, that should be good. To everyone else that is staying, I entrust you with the task of protecting the castle. Please train hard, and be aware of what happens. You should tell the other heroes too. Soren, I see you over there, come here please… Saias, you come here too."  
The two men (and oh, how surprising, Ike following Soren) approached.

"I give you the main strategists positions. Please tell the other Robin that he will also have the task to help you."  
The green haired man nodded.  
"Understood Summoner. Thank you for your trust and this responsibility." The red haired man next to him nodded too, and she sighed. The castle was in good hands. She knew that the three strategists would be able to organize even better the army than her to be honest… After all they have been doing that almost all their life, unlike her.

"You all, even if you haven't been chosen for this journey, thank you all for your services. I'll be sure to remember your will to fight for another kingdom than yours."  
She clapped in her hands softly, and the group started to dissipate.

A bit later, in Alfonse's desk, the three Askrans and the Summoner were in a meeting. Kitsune was sitting on the ground, legs crossed. Sharena was sitting down next to her, on her knees, thinking. Alfonse and Anna were both on the sofa, in front of the low table where a map with pen marks was open. They were all silent, apparently focused on how the group will have to move.  
"First of all, we must think about our provisions. We shall bring food, clean water, tents. But we cannot take too many things with us in case we need to run away. Or the things will be too heavy."

Kitsune shook her head at princess's Sharena's words.  
"You are right, but look at our Heroes. Most of us, myself included, got the advantage of having a mount, which means that we can easily distribute and transportate what we need during this journey…"  
Alfonse nodded, taking some notes.  
"Do you think we should stay in one group or we should split in two? Because if we are in a smaller group, we could be less visible…"  
Kitsune squinted her eyes slightly.  
"But that means difficulties with communication and also difficulties if a Muspellian patrol finds us… We should stay in a single group. We will have more chances. It's not that I don't trust our own strength, it's just precautions. Do you understand?"

Both Alfonse and Sharena nodded. Anna then spoke.  
"Before thinking about our movements, I suggest that we get to prepare the provisions and stuff we have to take. We should reunite everyone that goes with your group and give them bags to hand on on their mount so that the next day when things are ready they can immediately take them with them."  
The askran prince noted that down while nodding.  
"I agree. Now comes the last question. When should we depart?" 

The three others went silent, focusing on finding an answer. Sharena was the first one to speak once again. It was good to see her so invested in this mission. What she liked to see was that Alfonse was also fully listening to her and considering her words instead of just doing everything himself. And she was proud of him, because Sharena wasn't a kid. Yeah, she was more energetic, less serious and more friendly than her brother, it didn't mean that she had no capacity. She was a powerful lance wielder, almost fearless with a warm smile, able to befriend a lot of people. She was the opposite of her brother in matters of nature, but both were very good when it came to fight. Though Alfonse was a little less powerful than her. His lack of strength compensated with his strategic skills.  
"I think we should depart once we are ready. After all, Princess Fjorm told us that it has been almost a month since Muspell struck, right? We shouldn't waste time choosing a date, instead let's just go when we can."

Kitsune looked at the princess.  
"You are right, but we have to make sure Princess Fjorm is also getting enough rest. I think we should wait two or three days. Like that we'll be able to prepare our stuff and to train for a bit before leaving, and Fjorm would be able to rest enough to accompany us. We need her to be our guide after all."  
The princess looked down and nodded, agreeing with the Summoner. Apparently, the two others were also convinced by her words.  
"Let's do it like this."

As Anna and Sharena started to talk about the stuff they will have to package, Alfonse looked at Kitsune.  
"Kitsune, tell me. Have you got any other dreams with princess Gunnthrà?"  
The Summoner sighed, feeling slowly the worry filling her mind.

“Unfortunately, not since two days. I asked her to tell me about Muspell's moves and how they were handling the situation each night, but maybe that's the thing… The Rite of Dreams right? Take her a lot of energy and she needs to rest before performing another one? I definitely want to see her again though. I need to tell her that Princess Fjorm is here alive and in safety with us despite her injuries. We also don't know how much Muspell's troops can advance in a single day. They have a lot of wyvern riders right…?"

Alfonse nodded, thinking.

"Yes, that is true. We don't really know what is happening with Princess Gunnthrà, but I hope tonight you will be able to get some news. Before that, we should prevent the maids and start to prepare what we should bring so we can package them tomorrow."  
With a nod, the four got up, walking towards the corridors. Anna and Alfonse went to the kitchen, Sharena, left towards the training fields with Soleil and Ophelia who she went across when crossing the corridors. Kitsune took her way to find the Heroes who were going to accompany her through Muspell.

The rest of the day passed, and after checking up on Fjorm and dining, the Summoner retired in her room. She sat on the bed and sighed. What a day. It was even more tiring than when Alfonse pulled her into a full training day. But somehow, she was glad and happy that they were helping. It has been only one day she knew princess Fjorm (three for her older sister), she already developed a certain affinity with her. Fjorm was a kind hearted woman, apparently determined to revenge, and even more determined to pay the debt she was apparently owing to Askr, even if they didn't do anything yet. 

When she checked up on the princess, she told her about how her kingdom was before Muspell invaded, and Kitsune would have loved to visit. It looked even more pulled up straight from Frozen, with their castle made of a sort of mixing of special ice, crystals and glass, just like Elsa's castle. It was even in the mountains. Well, more at the feet of the mountains, not at the summit, unlike Elsa's one. Fjorm told her about the permanent cold temperature, especially in winter, and how Jötun's doctors were collaborating with Gunnthrà and Niflese scientists to heal the strong colds and fevers from the winter in Nifl. They were developing spells to make the people resistant to the cold. Kitsune had chuckled, and told her about her special case. Her body temperature was way higher than the normal one, she was even more resistant to the cold and rarely sick, but couldn't really bear the heat. Fjorm wanted to touch her hand, and was surprised by the huge contrast. It had been a fun conversation.  
Kitsune grew even more curious about the princess and her family. Fjorm promised her to talk about how she lived with her siblings and her mother before the war tomorrow. But for now… Both had to rest.  
The Summoner fell asleep to the thought of imagining a beautiful kingdom covered in ice which was reflecting the polar lights in the night sky.

\-------------------------

"Kitsune… Kitsune…"

The Summoner opened her eyes. Someone was calling her name… Someone she knew. This voice… Gunnthrà. She stood up slowly. She was back in the ice crystal…  
"Princess…? Princess Gunnthrà, is that you?"  
The pink haired woman was behind her.

"Hello Lady Kitsune. I am glad to find you here again… I know that you have some questions in regards to my silence…"  
Kitsune rubbed her eye, then watched the princess, suddenly being conscious of where she was. She was back in that temple where the Niflese princess was able to perform the Rite of Dreams huh… She was definitely glad to see that Gunnthrà seemed unharmed, nor injured.

"Muspell's forces are moving. They arrived from Hjarnhof, the northern region of Nifl. This is where our capital was standing before they attacked. We stopped our activities of watching over them because of their movements. The patrols were more frequent, so we had to stay quiet, which is why I couldn't perform the rite…They are currently crossing the river called Sieg. It is Nifl's biggest and longest river. It will take them some time to cross it.” 

The Summoner took mental notes while tilting her head, listening carefully.

“I am actually in the sanctuary at Snjárhof, the western region of Nifl. The sanctuary is located underground, in a sacred cavern. You only will be able to find it… Because of your legendary relic, Breidablik. You have nothing to be scared of, Great Hero. Breidablik is one of the only keys with another relic that I have with me to access the sanctuary. With these relics… We will be able to take down Surtr."  
Kitsune frowned slightly.  
"What do you mean Princess…?" Oh, she didn't really like that look in her eyes.

"King Surtr of Muspell is immortal. His flames will never die. For this, he accomplished the Rite of Ashes. He sacrificed human lives to reach immortality… And no weapons, no spells can harm him. Fortunately, Nifl has a counterpart to this Ritual. It is called the Rite of Frost. This special ceremony, if correctly accomplished, will nullify the Rite of Ashes' effect. If you join me and then take the way to the Temple of Glasera in the deep south of Nifl, we will be able to perform the Rite and then fight Surtr equally so we can this time take him down."

Perfect. So now she just learned that the final boss of their enemies was basically immortal by feeding some people to the flames.  
If Surtr transformed into an enormous fire dragon as a final breath, she just wouldn't be surprised at all, if that wasn't overcheated enough.

"I take note from everything you tell me, and will tell my commanders."  
The princess bowed slightly.  
"Thank you, Great Hero."  
Kitsune frowned again, suddenly silent.  
"P… Please… Don't call me Great Hero. Kitsune is enough."

Gunnthrà watched her curiously, tilting her head to the side.  
"Alright Kitsune. I have a last question before letting you go… Do you have any sign from my younger sister…?"  
The Summoner smiled at this question, warmly.

"... Yes. Your sister has arrived this morning. She was injured, but we healed her and she is now resting at our infirmary in the castle, in safety. She explained the whole situation, and we decided to depart for Nifl once she would have rested enough. I will tell her everything you told me, so like this she will guide us to you. I do not know where the temples are… But I am sure she does. Thank you for your help, princess. Please stay safe until we come."  
It was Kitsune's turn to bow in front of her. She always had been polite, even if before coming to Askr, she never met any royalties. It was just that it was impossible for her to not feel inferior. After all… They were royalties.  
"Good luck, Kitsune. I trust you. I really look forward to the day where we will be able to meet face-to-face."  
After a last smile, Gunnthrà's figure dissipated slowly, just like her surroundings. 

Kitsune awoke when feeling the hard floor bonking against her shoulder. 

"........"

Did she just fall? Seriously? Twenty-one years old and unable to stay in her bed to sleep?

During the end of the morning, the maids and Anna had finished from preparing the main stuff that the group was about to bring. The Summoner went to Alfonse first, to report him about her dream. After that, Kitsune checked on her team, watching them training with a motivation that almost scared her off the training fields. Making her daily round, she passed to the stables to check on her pegasus Emi. It has been some days since she didn't take him out…  
But soon he'll be able to fly. She crossed the gardens, watching Askr's landscapes, taking a last time admiring them before leaving for… Who knows how many days, even weeks or months.

After making sure the Heroes packed up the stuff and food and telling them that the rest of their days in Askr before they leave should be spent relaxed and not train too much, she walked towards the infirmary. She found princess Fjorm standing up glancing at the view from the window. She looked sad, almost lost.

"Princess Fjorm." The Summoner bowed slightly. Fjorm finally noticed her, walking towards her bed to sit down.  
"Oh hello Lady Kitsune… Sorry, I didn't hear you enter."

Kitsune walked towards her and took a chair to sit down next to her. She smiled.  
"How are you feeling today, Princess?"

Fjorm stretched her arms slightly, hissing a bit when it came to her right arm.  
"I am definitely feeling better thanks to you all, but alas, I fear that I cannot hold yet Leiptr…"

The princess took a look at her lance at her bed's side. Kitsune hummed, curious.  
"Leiptr is your lance? Is it one of the legendary weapons able to freeze everything?"

Fjorm smiled.

"Well, this is certainly exaggerated. My lance Leiptr, isn't as strong as described in the books. My siblings, except Gunnthrà, also wield those kind weapons. Hríd has a sword, Gjöll, and Ylgr, has some daggers called Sylgr. They were forged with the same material. But my mother's spear… Vegsvinn… Is the most powerful weapon Nifl possesses. And Surtr… Surtr took Vegsvinn. With that, he will be able to attack Jötun…"

The princess started to worry.  
"Princess, we are going to stop him, I promised you this. For now, don't think about it. Please rest, and talk to me about your family…"  
She put her face in her hands, her elbows on her knees, watching Fjorm with a shining curious gaze. This gaze made the princess think about other things than Surtr, and she chuckled.

"Right, I promised you. Well, I don't know where to start… I was living in the castle. My mother and father raised us all, but I spent a lot, whole lot of time with my older siblings, especially my brother when I was younger. All the time I wanted to do like him, but all the time he stopped me, telling it was dangerous. Mother once told me that he was a very turbulent kid and a kind of rascal before I was born. He would make mischieves over mischieves, tricking my parents and our tutors, even Gunnthrà wasn't safe. But when I arrived… He changed and grew up to be more serious, and he took care of me a whole more than my father who was very busy at this time because it had been a bad winter, and Nifl's people were sick everywhere in the country."

Fjorm went on, telling about her father's death due to the same disease that took a lot of her people's life that same winter, she told about how her mother had to stop leading the army to take the throne and lead the people, she told her how she has been an amazing queen, helping the researches against the diseases a lot and fighting it with a strong vigor, and how she never abandoned any single village in Nifl.  
She told about how Gunnthrà joined the scientist team because she admired her mother's work and was willing to help. Kitsune knew how royalties were different from her own realm, but this was… Almost wholesome to see such leaders devoted to their people.

"I talked enough about myself, now. I am more than curious about you and your realm, Kitsune…" Fjorm tilted her head on the side and Kitsune blushed a little, a bit embarrassed, looking away.  
"I'm sorry Princess, it is… Very difficult for me to talk about my world. It will take a lot of time… I must prepare a little."

The Niflese Princess chuckled.  
"All right, I won't insist if you don't feel like it, don't worry. Thank you for listening to me though… I thought about something else than the war in a month… That was nice to relax for a bit…"

Kitsune smiled at these words.  
"I'm glad I could help, Princess."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter after that till the group departs! It's pretty slow but I like taking my time I'm sorry. Also I don't really feel any attachment to the heroes I chose for the trip (except Ethlyn maybe.) because all the heroes I use and love dearly are only Heroes protags lmao  
> I really sit down there stanning all the Heroes characters  
> 


	5. A Big Departure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Order makes the final preparations and finally starts their journey on their way to Nifl.

Tonight, Kitsune dreamed of something weird. Or… Someone? She didn't know. She was behind… Someone, hidden behind a tree in a snowy field. The figure was tall, with broad shoulders. She tried to observe it, noticing a smaller figure at its side. When the figures turned around, everything disappeared. The last thing she could distinguish was pale grey and a kind of lavender colour… 

When she woke up, she could only remember the purple colour. She really had strange dreams lately. Was that a side effect of the Rite of Dreams? She didn't really know. Fixing Breidablik into its pocket at her belt and taking a small bag on her back, she went outside. 

She came across some Heroes in the corridors as always, some looking busier than others.   
Prince Marth was talking with Prince Lyon. Another strange pair Zenith made happen… Arriving in the main living room, she spotted Jakob bringing some tea to Elise who was enjoying a small break with Sharena, and Sakura too.   
Deciding that breakfast could wait, she went outside. Today she would be preparing her pegasus for the journey…

A part of the day went smoothly. Kitsune was in a field, Emi eating some hay as she was brushing his mane, when she noticed someone on the training field.   
She had observed all her Heroes and definitely wasn't recognizing this one. Leaving Emi where he was, she decided to approach, when some blue light sprang up from the figure. The Summoner took a step back, surprised, then focused on who was training. After a while, she finally could see that it was princess Fjorm with her lance Leiptr. But… Wasn't she hurt? 

Kitsune laid against a tree, a bit further, to watch her technique. This lance was surrounded with icy magic. She could see at the princess's feet some ice crystals. Her moves were swift, but… Somehow, they didn't seem sure. The young woman stopped her lance, looking a bit pained, when Kitsune realized that she was holding her lance with her right arm. Right… She had a huge wound there. She decided to approach.

"Good morning Princess. I see you are training. You shouldn't force yourself too much with it, we have time."  
Fjorm looked surprisingly at Kitsune. Apparently, she didn't notice that the Summoner was watching her training.  
"Oh… Hello Kitsune. I wanted to be back in good form as soon as possible… I do not want to weigh you down. So I decided to train as soon so I could recover faster…"

Kitsune shook her head.  
"It's not by taking your lance and making such violent moves that early with such a wound that you will recover faster. Let me see your arm…"  
Fjorm gave her her arm as she took it in her hands, observing the bandage.

"Look, you almost ripped it off." Kitsune said with a chuckle. "Come on, I'll make a new one. After that I want you to go easy on your training and rest so you can recover."  
The woman took the princess with her at the infirmary. By the end of the day, Fjorm almost found her whole agility to strike with her lance fully, the Summoner staying at her sides with Alfonse to give her advice as she wasn't really the professional of melee here.

The second day passed almost like the first. The group was training, nothing was really happening, Kitsune filled her daily duties… Without Embla, it was kind of boring, Kitsune had to admit as she was walking through the gardens. There, she found Sharena, taking care of some blue roses.  
"Hello Sharena. What are you doing?"

The princess looked at her and smiled softly.  
"Ah Kitsune! Well, I am taking care of my part of the gardens, since we are leaving tomorrow, we aren't gonna see them anymore for a while…"  
She brushed with her fingers the flowers. She seemed to love them a lot. It was a heartwarming scene.

"Don't worry, Flora promised me to take care of the gardens when we are gone. Plus, I am sure you will be able to discover new plants and flowers in Nifl!" She cheered up, smiling.

"I hope… I am still a bit nervous but glad we can try to help. I am sure Nifl, even if invaded, is a beautiful country…"  
Sharena watched the landscapes, silently, as Kitsune nodded, turning her gaze in the same direction as her green one.

The next day, they were woken up early. Well, not really early for most of the Heroes, but 5am was still really early for the Summoner. But this time, she got up pretty easily. It was the morning of the departure, Alfonse had been observing Fjorm's moves and said that she was good enough to get back in the army, and Kitsune approved his decision along with Ethlyn. 

"Alright, is everyone ready?"

Kitsune watched over the group, standing on top of Emi, who was slightly flying. She could spot Lethe, and Eliwood standing with Frederick, Camus was a bit further behind. The three manaketes, Myrrh, Idunn and Ninan, were in their group, surrounded by Elincia and Chercher, on their pegasus and wyvern respectively. Klein and Kliff, along with Python, were crossing their arms, watching the summoner, and Robin was next to Alfonse. Of course, Ethlyn and Lissa were also within the group, Lissa being next to Fjorm to check on her wounds. Everyone was here and ready.

"We will first take the way to the port of Gnótthæđ." Alfonse spoke, with an open map in his hands. "There will be approximately two days of walk here. Normally, if what princess Gunnthrà says is true, there will be no Emblian troops nor Muspellian troops yet, as princess Veronica is said to be held captive in Muspell, and King Surtr hasn't reached Askr yet. We would have been alerted. We will camp in the Glítnir forest, which is a small forest just in front of Gnótthæđ. Once at the port, we will take a single ship, which will lead us to Nifl. We have four days of crossing the Great Western Ocean. Which means that in total, we will be in Nifl in one week. Once there, princess Fjorm will be our guide to find princess Gunnthrà so she'll help us perform the Rite of Frost to nullify Surtr's immortal flames. Do you have any questions?"

Apparently, the Heroes were all okay with that plan, which reassured Kitsune kinda, because it meant that they'll leave even sooner.

"Very good, then onwards!"

And that's how the group left. They have been planning their moves since princess Fjorm's arrival, and they left with enough food for at least 2 months, everything distributed in the bags the mounts -Emi included- were carrying. They also had ten tents. The Heroes would sleep in pairs, except for the Summoner. Kitsune wasn't bothered by sleeping with someone but Alfonse said that it was better as some people would stay outside to guard the camp. It wasn't the first time Kitsune went outside the castle, but it was definitely the first time she would go so… Far from it? She didn't know as she often left for Embla or even other worlds when Embla attacked them, but it always felt like Askr was close. There, they would cross an entire big ocean. 

With Sharena, they organized the position of each person in the group. Fjorm and Kitsune would lead (despite her insisting that she would feel better if someone else led), Alfonse said that he and Sharena would close the march, in case something sneaks up behind them. Fjorm was sitting behind Kitsune on Emi, it didn't seem to bother the pegasus to have someone else on his back. In the second lines, the four cavaliers, Camus, Eliwood, Python and Frederick, were following. In third lines, were Lethe, with Robin, surrounded by Elincia and Cherche. Kliff, Lissa and Klein were following along on the fourth line, and finally, on the fifth, were the three dragons, Ethlyn and Alfonse with Sharena. Since they walked closely and the group wasn't really big, it was still pretty easy to communicate. Fjorm was holding Kitsune's waist close.

"It… It's not the first time I fly on a pegasus, and yet I haven't done it enough to get used to it…"

Kitsune chuckled.

"Don't worry princess, you can always ask me to put you down so you can walk. Plus, he is a good boy, and will stay at everyone's rhythm."   
The Summoner patted Emi's neck, who resulted in him shaking slowly his mane. His fly was indeed slow, and he was pretty close to the ground. Even if normally they were safe, it was better to not fly too high in case if Embla was still in the surroundings.

"It may not be the first time I ride a pegasus, but this is the first time I see one with such colors…" The princess said as she was admiring the shade of dark blue becoming lighter at the end of Emi's feathers. Emi wasn't white like most of the pegasus. He had a black coat on most parts of his body. His mane, tails and end of legs and wings though, were ending in a dark to lighter blue.

"It's true that he has another color than the other pegasus. Most of the pegasus knights cannot ride a black pegasus due to their class. I think it's only possible for a dark rider. A flying mage if you want."

Fjorm watched her, frowning slightly.   
"A mage? But that means-"  
Kitsune smiled.  
"That means that yes, I am a mage myself, even if I don't look like it."

She put her hand in the bags on Emi's right side, taking out a white tome covered in turquoise strange spirals.  
"This is my tome. It is called Färge. This tome is… Pretty unique let's say. See, mages are able to master a kind of magic using a kind of tome? Well mine can use all of them."

She opened her tome and heard a gasp from the princess.  
"But… The pages… They are… Blank?"  
And they were. The pages were completely white and empty, without any writings.  
"Yes… When I cast a spell, the writing appears on its pages, filling it. I don't know at all how it works though…"  
The Summoner chuckled sadly.

"Is this tome a weapon from your realm?"  
Kitsune stayed silent for a moment before shaking her head negatively.

"No. I got it in Askr, just like Emi. Because in my world, there is no magic at all."  
The princess gasped once again, but this time it was a bit louder. Which was normal. So far, all the worlds she'd visited had magic. To think she was living in the only one without it...

"W… What? No magic? But like, for real?"

The Summoner hummed.  
"Yes, no spells, no magical books, no dragons, no pegasus, they're all legends. No magic to heal neither. We live in a world without magic. It just doesn't exist, there's no explanations at that…"

Fjorm watched the path they were flying above under them, silently. She was probably trying to figure out how such a world could work…

"You must have been scared when you arrived here, didn't you?"  
Kitsune didn't really answer at that first. Was she scared? She'd been summoned by Anna, from her own world, where she had a family, her friends, and a future. No time for goodbyes, it has been one year since she was separated from them.

"I was… Surprised. I don't know if I was really scared."  
After all, this realm was really better than her own despite the lack of technology. They had magic and freaking dragons. Princess Fjorm nodded and then went silent once again, and that's how the small troop spent the rest of the day, travelling quietly with some small talks, towards the Glítnir forest. 

Kitsune thought about what she would tell the princess tomorrow once they settled the camp in a small valley under the trees in the forest. Fortunately, the sky was clear, and everyone helped to set the tents. The Summoner used her magic to create the firecamp, and let the cooking group do their jobs. The group was composed of Kliff, Frederick and Ethlyn. Once the stew was ready, everyone sat around the fire, eating with sort of joy because of how quiet the day was. It was reassuring to think that Embla was far away in Muspell and not around them to attack, they were saying.

"Alright. We're going to do some groups to check on the camp tonight."  
Lissa complained.  
"Eeeeh? But I thought Embla was far away… I want to sleeeep…"

Lethe's ears twitched slightly.  
"Come on Princess Lissa, everyone wants to sleep, but we still aren't sure about Embla. Plus there must be wild animals outside. I heard prince Alfonse mentioning wolves. We must be ready."  
Lissa started to explain how she wouldn't be able to sleep with wolves, as Kitsune raised her hand.  
"Alfonse, how many groups do you wanna make?"

The prince thought about that, when Idunn approached.  
"Your Highness." She said to the young man.  
"Us manaketes have more developed senses than humans. If we feel anything slightly weird during the night, we'll wake you all up. You can count on us."   
Ninian and Myrrh nodded, volontier to watch over the night.

"Are you sure? Then in that case it's settled. Those who want to sleep will be able to sleep, if some want to stay awake for longer, you can, but be sure to get enough sleep."

Kitsune was one of the last one to retire to her tent, due to how nervous she was being so far from the castle. It was the first time she camped like that. Well, not really. But with danger around them, it was definitely a first.

And so the night went on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Evening my weeks are hell and I almost forgot to update  
> The more I assist to english classes the more I feel like I can't write correctly I am once again very sorry for all the mistakes that could happen sobs  
> Kitsune's tome is neutral btw, it has been neutral like 2 years before Bramimond showed up in Feh I wasn't even thinking they would include one day neutral tomes but I'm sastisfied even if I have no Brami laughs


	6. Crossing the Ocean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Order continue their trip and cross the Ocean which leads them to Nifl!

On tomorrow's dawn, Fjorm woke the Summoner up, shaking her sleepy form slowly.  
"Kitsune, the time has come to continue our travel. We are pretty close from Gnótthæđ, Alfonse said. If we go now, we'll arrive in only some hours and be able to have breakfast there, then take the ship."

The Summoner rubbed her eyes. It had been a pretty peaceful night. The temperature in Askr was rather good, even outside at night, and she slept like a log. None of the manaketes had felt anything threatening, which was good news for the next part of the journey in Askr. She probably won't be able to say that when they'll arrive in Nifl though. She took a little time to get up, and once outside, Alfonse almost scolded her to be too slow.  
"Sorry sorry…"  
She said, a bit annoyed by his tone. The prince crossed his arms.  
"The faster we depart, the sooner we'll arrive in Nifl…"

After seeing her nod, he sighed and gave her a pat on her back, then turned towards the others who were already packing up their tents. Sharena came to the rescue for her, helping her folding the tent and putting it back in the bags at Emi's sides.  
"As planned, we will continue our walk to Gnótthæđ today. We should arrive in less than 3 hours, which will give us enough time to take breakfast there. After that, we'll immediately get on the ship, and leave for Nifl. I already spoke to the navies during the last days, they are willing to accompany us to Nifl and take us back when we will need them."

After the prince's little speech, the group took its yesterday's formation again.

The Glítnir forest was a rather quiet forest. Alfonse said that it was also a pretty small forest, which kinda explained why they'd cross it quickly. The trees were mostly usual trees you could find in a normal forest. But this one had a lot of oaks. Due to how small the leaves were, it was easy to see the orange and pink colors of the sky. It was beautiful. As Emi was watching where he was flying, Kitsune could take some time to raise her head towards above her and admire the sky. 

Princess Fjorm was still sitting at her back, watching more the surroundings than the sky.  
"Do you think there are deers here?"  
The princess asked.  
"More than probably, if Alfonse told that wolves were here…"

Fjorm let out a slight "ooooh" before trying to focus on the bushes, as if hoping to catch the sight of one of the deers.  
"Aren't there any deers in Nifl?"  
The princess nodded.

"Oh yes there are. But I don't think I've ever seen one in the wild. I haven't really left the capital in my life, since I only joined the royal army last year. My trip to Askr was an exception but I was way too focused on arriving than looking around me. Gunnthrà told me that the deers' coat from Nifl turned completely white during winter… It's to hide better in the snow. Many of the animals turn white in fact during winter. Except the boars, Gunnthrà said." 

Kitsune hummed, listening to Fjorm talking. She liked seeing her speaking about how her kingdom was. There was this light in her eyes, a warm light. She loved her kingdom very much huh… The Summoner kinda wished she had this kind of love towards her country. Well… The leaders were all money-obsessed and her people were always disagreeing with everything, starting a revolution as soon as they could. After all, they publicly guillotined some royals. Thinking about that with a royal to her sides gave her a shiver.

About more than two hours later, the forest started to dissipate, and there were less and less trees. The gates of Gnótthæđ were visible a bit further away. It was a classical stone gate, with some bands similar to the castle's one. Must be the askran style. The city was just next to the huge ocean. It was a mid-sized city, with some small houses and sometimes huge inns.  
The citizens were surprised to see both royal siblings. After all, King Gustav wasn't really the type to allow Alfonse nor Sharena wherever they wanted to go. It had been difficult enough to convince the King to let them depart already, Kitsune had to argue for some long hours, while the man asked how this was beneficial to Askr. In the end, the Queen Henriette, the siblings' mother, was the one who convinced him clearly. He just said that they had to do it alone without his help. Fortunately the queen was way more helpful to them. She helped them get some Nifl maps and food. Bless the Queen…

Alfonse clapped in his hand, dragging her out of her thoughts.  
"Everyone! We have a break of one and a half hours. We will be taking a break at the Port's Inn. Let's walk there and eat something! After that we'll get on the ship and leave. Is that good for you all?"  
As everyone was approving, Kitsune tried to check which Inn the young man was talking about. Oh. She finally spotted it. It was a stone Inn, with some blue bricks to make the roof. The inn's title was hung up on the front wall, just above the wooden door. 

She knocked first once in front of it, and entered, the troop following behind her. It was lively. There were pretty much a lot of people there. A brown haired woman welcomed them, holding a plate with some bottles on it.  
"Welcome to the Port's Inn! What can I do today for you? My… Aren't these Prince Alfonse and Princess Sharena? It's the first time the inn gets so privileged guests! Please do come in."

The princess thanked the woman, who guided them to a big table so the 19 of them could fit. Once there they ordered some food and were served with some fruits, along with orange juice, toasts, butter and fruit jams and finally, scrambled eggs. Kitsune ate some eggs with buttered toast, slowly, because she knew that she wouldn't eat well prepared meals like this once they're gone from the inn. Even during the boat trip.  
Now that she thought about it, she was still nervous. But it wasn't the time to bother anyone by being nervous. She had to lead the troop, whatever she wanted or not. She was Nifl's hope, as Gunnthrà told her. She couldn't give up when they almost arrived at Nifl. Shaking her head, she tried to relax during the end of the break, scrolling sometimes on her phone to check what was up in her world, and exchange some words with the Heroes.

After the break, they paid and said goodbye to the woman who took care of the inn and all left, walking towards the port.  
"So Alfonse? Which boat will take us with them?" Kitsune asked, her eyes observing the sea.

The prince stopped, watching the boats on the port. Gnótthæđ was a city famous for its port and fishing capacity. They had a lot of experienced fishermen, and the fish market was recognized and appreciated in the whole region, not to say the whole kingdom.

"Well… This is kinda problematic. The ship's owner told me that the boat's name was "Floating Askr Valley" but I can't really distinguish the names, which are mostly dissimulated within the water…" The prince sighed, a bit lost.

As the group tried to catch a sight of any of the boat's names, a tall man with broad shoulders, a blue shirt and blond hair stopped in front of them.  
"Prince Alfonse! Hello Highness, you're here earlier than my team was expecting!"  
Sharena approached the man.  
"Hello! Are you perhaps a member of the "Floating Askr Valley"?"  
The blond man chuckled, he was holding in both his arms two barrels, probably food for the boat.

"Affirmative. The name's Dorian. Proud captain of the ship that will carry you all to the Kingdom of Ice. It's nice to meet ya, Highnesses. So that's your group? Ya didn't lie when you told me you were almost twenty. Please follow me!"  
The man turned around, and Alfonse averted the troop to follow him. Dorian, the captain, guided them towards a huge wooden ship. Shit, it looked so much like these very old ships- oh wait. That's true. Kitsune sighed. They were still in a medieval world, which meant no motor, nothing to make the boat move faster, just the wind and the sails. The team climbed on the boat, saluting the navies team. 

They were four plus Dorian, which made five in total. The Summoner watched them, and caught their names. There was a man with green hair and glasses, whose name was Jack, a long red haired man, with a ponytail and a missing eye, called Harry, a young brown haired man, who seemed to be way less used to the boat than the other, he was called Neil, and finally, a black haired man with grey eyes and a wide smile, whose name was Willy. They were all fishers, and their boat could navigate through the cold sea of Nifl easily, which is why Dorian proposed to Alfonse to take them through the ocean.

They departed once everyone was on the ship, and put all the mounts in the boat's stables. The group had to help a bit with the boat's duties.  
"I make you cross the ocean free, but I'll require a bit of your help to take care of the ship. Ya see, the weather of the sea is imprevisible. You cannot clearly say when a storm will happen or when it's gonna stop, so ya need to prepare the boat to face it."

Kitsune looked at the heroes cleaning the boat, and helping with the sails and cords, then watched Dorian, Fjorm next to her.  
"Hey captain, are there any pirates on the sea?"  
Dorian let out a laugh at this question.  
"What a question! Of course there is. Fortunately, they can recognize fishing boats and don't attack them. They only want gold after all."

The rest of the day passed, and the Heroes had to choose who they'd share a room with, since the boat had not enough room for everyone. Kitsune decided to share a room with Sharena and Fjorm, who didn't seem bothered by the decision. After the dinner, they all retired for the night. Once the three of them changed in the small bathroom, they all laid down on the bed. Kitsune was at the edge of bed, Sharena in the middle, and Fjorm had the wall side. The niflese princess didn't seem to be tired yet.

"Hey Kitsune… Would you please talk to me more about your magicless realm? How do people live correctly?"  
Sharena also watched Kitsune, interested by the discussion. After all, it was a rare opportunity to hear the Summoner talking about her own realm.

"Well… I don't really know how to explain it. Let's say that my world has a more advanced technology level than yours, probably due to how we have no magic, so a faster progress. We learned how to use the natural energies to create our own, and we created machines to help us in our everyday life."

Sharena tilted her head on the side.  
"But that small artifact of yours that you always bring with you… Isn't that magic?"  
Kitsune frowned.  
"Artifact…? Oh… You mean…"  
She put her hand in her pouch, getting out her smartphone.  
"My phone? This isn't magic at all ehe. See, this is called micro-technology. My phone is composed of very small pieces when assembled together and thanks to electricity, creates the full system." 

She turned it on, and Fjorm watched it intensely, apparently surprised that such a small thing produced that amount of light.  
"But… What's the purpose of it?"  
Kitsune should have guessed that kind of question, and yet despite having Alfonse asking her this, she still couldn't correctly answer.

"Its first purpose is to communicate fastly with someone else possessing one. It works with invisible magnetic waves. Thanks to it, I can communicate with someone having another one of them wherever they are, even from thousand and thousand kilometers away. But it doesn't do only this…"  
The two princesses hummed, taking the phone to observe it in their hands.

"You can take pictures. It's a moment of life that is saved forever as an image in the phone."  
To show a proof, she sneakily took a picture of the two princesses.  
"Oooh, look at us princess Fjorm! Aren't we cute?"

Kitsune laughed at their reactions. She was doing better than expected in explaining to them how her phone worked. Soon though, they had to sleep, as the sea was peacefully carrying the boat towards Nifl.

When the Summoner opened her eyes, she was once again in the middle of a snowy field. She was… Dreaming once again…? Was it Princess Gunnthrà? No… She couldn't see the crystal around her. It looked like a wide white valley with some pine trees… She had once again her hood covering her face.

"Is anyone there?"

A voice spoke. It was a man's voice this time. Kitsune turned behind, only to face… The figure she saw in her dreams some days ago. It was a tall man, she couldn't see correctly his face nor his clothes, but she could distinguish his lavender and icy blue tips hair.

"You are…"

The man took a step in front of him, as if he wanted to approach her. Kitsune didn't answer, slightly scared, and took a step back instead. There was once again a lot of fog. What was happening in this kingdom, clearly? Why was she dreaming of these people? Who was he? Was he someone able to accomplish the Rite of Dreams? No… It wasn't like how Gunnthrà was contacting her. She didn't know, and decided to close her eyes to escape this dream. Everything around her, the man included, disappeared. 

When the Summoner opened her eyes, she was in the small room on the boat.

What did she dream about? She couldn't remember, everything in her head was foggy. Sharena was deeply asleep next to her, but princess Fjorm's spot was empty. Where did she go?  
Kitsune got up, being careful of not waking up the Askran princess. When she got outside the room, it was the beginning of dawn. The sky was once again filled with pale pink, orange, and a bit of light blue. The crew were cleaning the main deck, and the Summoner noticed how most of the Heroes were probably still sleeping. She found Fjorm watching the waves, leaning on the barrier, her blue eyes covered once again in worry. It was the third day of their travel through the sea, and probably not the first time Fjorm was in this state. 

Approaching slowly, Kitsune put a hand on her left shoulder, leaning at her turn on the barrier while the princess turned her gaze towards her.  
"Hey." The Summoner saluted. "Oh… Hello Kitsune. Did I wake you up? I'm sorry if I did."  
Kitsune stretched her arms in the front.  
"No, you didn't don't worry. More importantly, are you okay?"

The woman's gaze went once again towards the ocean, lost in the water. Kitsune noticed her grip on the wooden barrier stronger.  
"... Yes I am."

That was wrong. One of Kitsune's best capacities was to feel the others' emotions, and right now, the princess was filled with something she knew too well unfortunately. Anxiety.

"Are you scared, princess? This whole journey to Nif and Muspel, does it scare you?"  
The princess froze, trying not to lose composure.  
"I… I…"  
Kitsune watched her, then sighed, patting her back slowly.  
"You are… But it's okay, princess. It's normal to be scared. We are all. Well, some less than the other… But I am definitely scared."

Fjorm looked at her.  
"You are? But you look… So calm…"  
Kitsune let out a small sad laugh. It was because she was a master at hiding her own feelings, she guessed. Always being cheerful and trying to be here for everyone, putting aside all her negative emotions. She couldn't easily talk about that with people.

"And yet, the appearances don't do everything, some hide it better than others. And right now… I am scared. This is the first time I go so far from Askr, and our opponent is basically immortal. I am from a country and period of time that doesn't know war. I am neither in the army, nor fighting. I am a mere student. And suddenly, I was summoned into a realm that has magic and dragons, and is in the middle of a terrible war. How can I stay calm… Fighting is a horrible feeling and I wish this war could end the soonest possible."

Fjorm listened to her attentively.  
"You don't know war…? Your realm must be better than this one…"  
Kitsune shook her head.  
"Trust me princess. I may not know war but my realm is far from being a realm of peace. This one is way better than mine…"

She gazed at the ocean with the princess, before hearing Alfonse clapping in his hands.  
"It's time to get up everyone, we have to take breakfast and then help the navies to the boat duties! This is probably our last day, so prepare for the next day to arrive in Nifl!"

"Miss Kitsune, we're gonna fish, do you want to come with us?"  
Dorian proposed, with at his sides Frederick, Lethe and two members of his own crew, Neil and Jack, if she remembered correctly.  
"Oh! Absolutely!"

She followed the small group, pretty excited. She's never done this before, it was a whole new activity.  
"Can I come please?"  
Sharena joined them after Dorian laughed and accepted. More hands meant more fish to catch after all.

"Say, what kind of fishes are there in the ocean?"  
The Askran princess asked, while holding firmly one of the fishing nets. Jack was holding the other side, and it was him who answered her.  
"Well, princess, in this area, there are plenty of red tuna. They're very tasty and also rare fishes, so they're of course, pretty expensive. They like the cold water of Nifl's eastern coast. But you can also find anchovies and mackerels."

Kitsune tilted her head on the side, holding another one of the nets with Frederick.  
"Are there some salmons?"  
She could swear she saw Lethe's tail moving slowly. Oh? Were salmons a fish she loved? Good thing to remember.  
It was Dorian's turn to answer.

"Unfortunately, salmons tend to prefer the western coast of Nifl, in the Great Eastern Ocean."  
As the most experimented, Dorian was alone holding the fishing net. This activity felt nice. Kitsune liked thinking about something else other than what was waiting for them in Nifl. She could learn new things and help as much as she can, before starting to fight people again. For a moment, she forgot the knot in her stomach.  
Once the evening arrived, the fishing team had done a great job, coming back with nets full of fishes. 

"We have a part for you, since you helped. Plus a part for our dinner. Please take those, fish will make you strong for your fights."

Kitsune tried to argue with Dorian as Willy was cooking dinner with Ethlyn and Frederick, trying to convince him that they had enough food and that would make more money for the entire crew, but the man didn't listen to her, packing them and giving them to the askran prince who accepted the food gratefully. 

"Kitsune, you know that we don't know how much time we'll stay in Nifl, could be weeks or even months, so we better prepare for the longest time."  
The Summoner gave up with a long sigh, deciding that it was time for her to retreat to brush Emi's feathers.

After dinner, which has been composed of fresh tuna with some vegetables and fruits for dessert, Kitsune decided to not sleep yet, watching the clouds covering the night sky on the boat desk. She hoped that the weather would be alright for their last night. Once they're in Nifl, Breidablik will be able to take them back home with a gate. It was one of the gun's most useful functions, with shooting Heroes, the Summoner would say. The sea was quiet. It has been a really calm travel for now, and it was probably the last day without battles. Fjorm told them that Muspell had taken over the whole Kingdom of Nifl. Which meant that they'd find them a bit everywhere on the Niflese territory. Being a smaller group was an advantage for them, they'd be less visible at least. 

But at the same time, they had to be very careful with their prints and how they walked. Gunnthrà said that the Temple she was hidden in was in Snjárhof, the western Niflese region. Which meant… That they'd arrive immediately in Snjárhof. Fjorm knew the way to the temple, and there, with the help of Breidablik, they'd join the first princess, before taking their way to the Temple of Glasera, which was at the north, near some hidden manakete guardian villages, and where most of the population that fled the capital was hidden. Once there, they'd accomplish the Rite of Frost and find Surtr to take him down.

Everything sounded fine and organized in the Summoner's head, and yet she didn't know, something was wrong. Well. Not something. But… 

She suddenly remembered her last dreams, with the purple haired figure. Who were they? And that smaller figure next to them… Were they allies? Or enemies? She didn't really know, but Niflese people had really had a problem with dreams. Especially hers. She didn't know how or why, but it was somehow always in her dreams that the strangest happened. Was it because she was the Great Hero? Who knew.

At some point, Kitsune eventually decided that since they'll have to walk a long way tomorrow when they'll be on firm earth, she had to sleep. The woman found the two princesses deeply asleep when she entered the small room. It was good to see that Fjorm was more peaceful now that she knew that she wasn't the only one who was scared.  
The Summoner changed for the night, taking off her long coat, and sat on the bed, sighing softly. She watched the ceiling for a while before laying down and closing her eyes, waiting for the sleep to take her.

Kitsune awoke in the crystal again. Taking some time to recognize the surroundings, she guessed that she was once again dreaming. And this time… She raised her head, seeing Gunnthrà in the middle, with a slightly worried expression. Once her blue gaze laid on the Summoner though, that worry immediately disappeared, which caused a knot to form into Kitsune's stomach.

"Hello Miss Kitsune. I am glad to see you are doing fine today."  
She was holding her tome against her.  
"I am sorry to bother you in your dreams once again… But I must warn you, from wherever you are, but Surtr knows that you are all coming. He gathered some of his personal forces and is waiting for you at the coast village. He is ready to suppress you as soon as you will arrive in Nifl. This is what my scouts told me."

Kitsune frowned.  
"The Muspellians know we're on our way to Nifl? But… How?"  
She didn't recall seeing any enemy troop on their way from Askr…

"Who knows, maybe Embla sent spying patrols. After all, the Emblian Princess is held in hostage, and Surtr is forcing her to collaborate with him, which means that he has mostly the control of her army too. I don't think he'll attack Askr with them though, since he wants to be the one invading, so be reassured. What we know is that you must be ready for battle when you'll arrive."

The Summoner nodded, then Gunnthrà smiled.  
"That still means that you are closer and closer to us… Oh I cannot wait for the day we'll finally meet in real life. Thank you for being our hope, dear Kitsune. Have a safe trip, may you strike and defeat Surtr's forces when he will keep you from continuing, good luck, Great Hero."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit boring somehow. Or I think that it is. I remember being quite bothered writing this chapter but I love the ship's crew, they are good men.  
> Each time I wonder how can the main pair still not even know each other when we're almost at chapter 6 lmao, well no worries. Mr.popsicle will arrive soon, be patient. The group will be in Nifl in the next chapter yaaaay!  
> As always please forgive my grammatical/typing mistakes, its actually really late and I almost didnt update for today woops-


	7. To Nifl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Order finally arrives to Nifl and is welcomed warmly.

"I see the firm earth!"

Cherche said, in the sky. With princess Elincia and Kitsune in the middle, they were sent as a scout patrol to check on what princess Gunnthrà said about Muspell's army. Alfonse told them that they were never enough on their guard, which was kinda true. Kitsune felt that she relaxed a bit, which wasn't really good. Well, relaxed in terms of battle tension, since Embla didn't try anything on them since they left. 

"It's not good, Lady Kitsune. There are red and black banners spread on the land, and it's not Nifl's insignias." Elincia said, frowning at the top of her pegasus, holding firmly her sword. The Summoner sighed.   
"So what princess Gunnthrà told us was true. It's better to prepare to fight-"  
She couldn't finish her sentence.

"Lady Kitsune!"  
Cherche shouted.  
"There are five wyvern riders flying in our direction! And they don't seem friendly!"  
Elincia gasped.

"Shit- Let's go back to the boat, prepare to fight! If there are no mages, we should be fine with the archers!" Kitsune said, panicked.  
The three turned back, flying as fast as they could. During their course, the Summoner opened her tome. Their enemies were like. Really really fast. It was bad.  
"Oh Färge, grants me your power, the power of Regnbåge, raise up a barrier at our opponents!"

A white light appeared in the woman's hands, and she turned towards the wyverns rider yelling things behind them, pointing her hands at them, and a white screen appeared suddenly in the air, before disappearing.

"Alright, this should slow them for a little… Let's continue, we're not far away from the boat!"  
She could see one of the enemies crashing into the barrier, causing it to crackle a bit. The man and his wyvern fell in the ocean, and the four others slowed suddenly to not make like him. Getting their weapons out (one had an axe, two had a sword and the last one had a lance), they started hitting the screen, crackling it more and more. During this time, the three had already reached the boat.

"Everyone, stand on your guards, we have some company arriving!"  
Alfonse said. Kitsune took place next to him.  
"Klein, Python, I will require your assistance immediately. Python, I want you behind Kliff, you'll target the lance rider, then one of the sword wielders. Klein, take down the axe wielder and the last sword. Ninian, help Klein move please."

As she watched the four Heroes taking place on the opposite sides of the boat, Sharena warned.

"They broke the barrier and are coming, they are extremely fast!"  
Kitsune chuckled. 

"They may be fast, they won't like our archers. Idunn please, take place next to Kliff and Python. Alfonse, I count on you to also help Klein and Ninian against the axe."  
The Askran prince nodded.  
"Understood, Summoner."  
She nodded as he took place, waiting now for the wyverns. The other Heroes made sure that the crew was in safety, so they could fight easily.   
"None of them are mages, but still be careful about the sails. We don't want them to rip them off. Elincia, Cherche, please, I count on you to watch over the heights."

Robin came next to Kitsune as the two ladies flew again.  
"Summoner, Dorian and his crew are locked in the rooms, they should be fine."  
Kitsune thanked the woman.  
"Thanks Robin. Now let's go."  
She said, opening her tome. She was ready to help to take them down too. 

The first rider arriving was the axe one, he was targeting Klein. Alfonse sprung on his right side to shield the blond archer, succeeding into pushing him back. Klein was fast enough to shoot three arrows into the wyvern's wings, which roared in pain before falling down in the ocean. Unfortunately, the man riding it was now on the boat, ready to strike once again. On the other side, the lance wielding wyvern raised, hitting Kliff. The young man stepped back, casting a spell causing the soldier to gasp and being unable to move, allowing Python to shoot through his and his wyvern's body. The two fell into the ocean as Lethe jumped from nowhere, transformed in her giant cat form, violently hitting the axe muspellian soldier and breaking his neck on the spot.   
Hearing some metallic sounds coming from above, Kitsune frowned.

"Sharena, please watch over the troop and stop the last soldier, Elincia and Cherche need help!"  
The princess ran towards the group, joyful and ready to battle.  
"Roger!"

Kitsune took Emi to fly above, towards the two fighting one of the sword wyvern riders.  
"Attacking women… How weak of you!"

The Summoner yelled, electric magic surrounding her. She knew it wasn't going to be enough but Elincia was waiting behind her. After she shot the spell, the princess immediately striked, not letting the soldier any time to recover from the shocking spell. She looked away as the bloody soldier's body was falling in the ocean with his wyvern in a scream of agony.

"Kitsune! We're done down there!"  
The Summoner sighed in relief, pointing under them to tell the two others to get down with her.

Once back on the boat and most of the blood cleaned, Alfonse sighed.  
"I guess that princess Gunnthrà was right with the warm welcome. We must prepare to fight. Have you seen correctly their positions?"  
Kitsune frowned then shook her head.  
"Unfortunately those riders started chasing us before we could see them correctly."

Sharena gave the woman a pat in her back.  
"Don't worry Kitsune! You did a great job there. We have a little time to organize how we'll arrive."  
Kitsune sighed softly before seeing Alfonse taking out a map.

"This is the map Mother gave us. Princess Gunnthrà told us that the enemy force will rather gather around the port since they try to block us and prevent us from landing. What we should do is probably send some people arriving from their sides to take them by surprise, and then make a way into Surtr's forces. We cannot defeat Surtr yet. So none of us shall approach him. Is that understood?"

Sharena pointed at the side they should approach.  
"So that means that some of us will have to mount with Kitsune, Lady Cherche or Princess Elincia, right?"

Kitsune smiled.  
"Emi can easily take three adults on his back."  
Cherche gave an affectional pat on her wyvern's head.  
"Minerva is strong enough to lift up four persons."  
Finally, Elincia talked at her turn.  
"I can also take two persons with me."

Alfonse counted.  
"Which means that ten persons will be able to leave on Kitsune, Cherche and Princess Elincia's mounts. Myrrh can also fly with them, which makes eleven. Alright let's make the groups."

Kitsune watched the Heroes.  
"Frederick, Lord Eliwood, Camus, you will stay on the boat, Python too, because we cannot take your horse with us. Idunn, you'll also stay with them. Lady Ninian, please stay at her sides. Finally, Lady Ethlyn, and Alfonse, you can stay with them. The rest will come with Cherche, princess Elincia and me. Is that good for you all?"  
She waited for everyone to approve, and then came back to her pegasus.

"We don't have a lot of time left, so let's go immediately. Princess Sharena? Princess Fjorm? Are you coming with me?"  
She let the two princesses climb on Emi's back, who didn't seem bothered. She saw Lethe, Klein and Lissa climbing behind Cherche on her wyvern, and Robin with Kliff on Elincia's pegasus. Myrrh would fly along with them.

"Let's go, everyone. And also good luck. When we will make a way, focus on the path and run as much as you can, and remember to not approach Surtr."  
That's how Kitsune's group flew away, taking the western path, being careful of not being close to earth to not be seen.

"Kitsune, do you think they'll survive…?"  
Fjorm's voice was deeply worried.  
"Oh, don't worry for them. They are strong, and trained a lot for this… They certainly can't take out Muspell's whole army, but they'll handle this until we help them."  
It had been since fifteen minutes now that they were flying above the ocean. None of the mounts seemed to be tired by the weight of any of them. 

The Niflese princess sighed in relief.   
"Alright then. Soon, you'll see the top of a tower. This is a ruined guard post attacked by Muspell… But they won't use it due to how damaged it is. Normally, it's far enough from their forces right now. After that, you'll have to continue straight above the snowy fields until we reach the port of Arfí, the city where we were supposed to arrive."  
The group listened to the princess before acknowledging, and continuing their way towards the tower.

"I see it!"  
Myrrh's voice echoed through the sky.  
"Really? In that case everyone, let's change direction, all forwards! Thank you Myrrh!"  
The small girl came back to her place next to Kitsune, and the group sped up their flight. When they arrived, they could see smoke still elevating in the sky as small flames were ravaging the rocks of the guardpost.

"How…?" Sharena was confused by seeing these flames burning the rocks.  
"Surtr's flames burn everything…"  
Was Fjorm's low and somber answer. Kitsune prefered not looking under them, focusing on their way straight forward. 

They continued their flight, taking out their weapons, preparing to fight.  
"I hope you can all jump, because I don't think we have time to land correctly and then fly again to fight."  
Sharena chuckled.  
"I'm ready!"  
Fjorm smiled.  
"So am I."  
And all the other Heroes approved, being ready too. Soon, they could see the Muspellian banners, along with black smoke.

"It's them. Be ready!"  
The cry of soldiers soon were heard, and she wondered where the group was.   
"Oh, I see them!"  
Sharena pointed at Alfonse's blue hair, along with Eliwood and Python, who were taking down together a heavy armored sword knight.   
"They are surrounded by fire mages. Let's hurry before they end up burned!" 

Frederick was struggling against a pink haired and dark toned woman. She was different from the other soldiers. Maybe a general…?  
"Sharena, Fjorm! Please help Frederick, he is alone against a strong enemy! I'm gonna fly above a part of the army to make you land!"

After both women said "Roger" in a determined tone, she flew fast again, dodging as she could the fire spells by the mages. Elincia's group and Cherche's group were already fighting on the side, opening slowly but surely, a way in their defenses so the other could escape. After both the princesses jumped, she tried to turn back only to be greeted with a spell she almost took if she didn't use a spell to shield herself.

"My, my, isn't that our dear Summoner Kitsune?"  
Opening her eyes once again, she was facing a purple haired woman with… Let's say, good advantages.   
"Loki…"

Next to her was a big man. Big was only a small word, he was almost giant. He looked like a monster, with his golden, red and black armor, and his huge fired axe shaped like a scythe. He had a scar on his right eye, the other being bloody red.

"So that is the famous Askran Summoner. Not even able to expect your spell. Pathetic."

The man smiled creepily. Kitsune didn't like this smile.  
"You know Summoner, you shouldn't put your nose in the other Kingdom's affairs… You should have stayed silent, just like Jötun did… It would have been way easier for both you and us…"

Kitsune backed off with Emi, letting out a frustrated "tch".  
"What are YOU doing here Loki? I thought you were with Embla!"  
The woman laughed.  
"Oh, but I am with Embla! And Embla is Muspell's ally. And so, I am fighting next to my king."

Kitsune frowned.  
"Your king…?"

She looked at the man, cautious. The giant man was staring at her with a burning gaze. But literally. There was fire coming out from his left eye.  
"That's right… She is with me. I am King Surtr of Muspell, the only one and true King of Zenith. Soon… All the Kingdoms will be burned down and mine. Soon, I'll be ruling over the world. But first, I'll take you all down today, before you can even reach Nifl! Wyvern riders, this woman is your enemy!"  
He blasted, and a bunch of wyvern riders, way too much for her, striked at her.  
Fuck, this was bad.

Kitsune turned back, flying as fast as she could between the Muspellian soldiers to lose the riders that were following her. She soon heard Alfonse's strong voice among the cries.  
"Order of Heroes, Surtr's defenses are breaking! Do not kill general Laevatein, do not approach Surtr, let's all run!"  
She spotted her allies running through a way the other forged through the Muspellian army, and the pink haired woman was down, seriously injured. Swiftly, she joined them, without letting time to her chasers to follow her without hitting the other soldiers through the army, and they all flew away from Arfí in the snow, everyone taking place on a mount. Muspel's army was left behind, confused with the Order running away.

"My King, we lost them. And they are using magic to erase their prints through the snow. It will take time to find them."  
The pink haired girl sighed, bleeding from her right shoulder and stomach, kneeling in front of the Muspellian king.  
"Up, Laevatein. Go find your sister and warn her about our unexpected guests. She'll heal you, and do not come find me until you kill them all."  
Laevatein nodded.  
"Understood, my King."  
Despite her injuries, the woman got up, under the wicked smile of Loki, and ran away with some soldiers, disappearing in the opposite direction from where the Order escaped.

The sun was still high in the sky as the Askran troop was walking through the snow, with some difficulties. Most of the Heroes weren't used to such snow.  
"So this is the Kingdom of Nifl? Brr… It's really cold!"  
Fjorm tilted her head on the side.  
"Really? It's rather temperate today…"

Kitsune chuckled before wondering how the princess wasn't cold with such a short dress. Maybe because she was born and lived there during her whole life. Kitsune had to admit that it was a bit chilly, even for her, but still bearable.  
"Come on Sharena, now's not the time to complain about the weather. We're already lucky there's no snow. How is it going with the prints?"  
Alfonse turned towards Robin and Kliff.

"Everything's fine."  
Kliff answered quietly. He and Robin had the task to erase everyone's footprints, and it was pretty difficult apparently due to the horses leaving bigger prints than the other. Kitsune flew above them.  
"Do you need help?"  
Robin shook her head negatively.  
"No need to bother yourself, Lady Kitsune, this isn't that difficult."  
The silver haired tactician smiled softly, but Kitsune sighed.

"Alright. Elincia, Cherche, would you take those two with you so they can prevent you from being tired too much?"  
Elincia smiled.  
"Of course, we’d appreciate to help."  
Kitsune watched the two climbing behind the two ladies, and nodded in contentment before focusing once again on their path through the snow.

She held her tome closer to her, tensed. Walking in the middle of the enemy territory like this… This was pretty bad.  
"Hey Alfonse… Don't you think we should find… Dunno, some forest or rocks to stay under or stay hidden in case a wyvern patrol happens? Because right there, there's nothing easier than spotting us from the sky in all this white."  
The Askran prince thought for a while, then looked at Fjorm.  
"Is there any hiding possibilities if Muspel sends patrols?"

Fjorm looked a bit worried.  
"Unfortunately… This region isn't known for its forest. It's mostly long and large fields. The coasts are mostly banquise so there's a low number of trees. Maybe when we'll be closer to the Snárjhof Temple, there will be some forest since it is situated in the countryside."  
Kitsune sighed. Good. So they were perfectly visible.

"No need to worry Lady Kitsune, we'll take them all down before they can even turn back to alert their army."  
Klein spoke, confident, Python nodding in front of him as they were sharing Python's horse.  
"You can count on us as well to fight them once they fall on the ground."  
Eliwood said at his turn. 

The Summoner smiled.  
"Thanks y'all. I know we're safe with you."  
They were right. A patrol had very low chances to reach a number superior to their group, it was from usually three to five people. And they were all fully trained soldiers, with three manaketes along them who would be able to warn them in advance thanks to their sense.

The group stopped in a spot where the snow was melted, so they could eat on the ground.  
"What do we have left?"

Alfonse looked in the bags and counted them.  
"We have pretty much enough food for all of us for more than a whole month, which is a reassuring new. We can for now focus on reaching the Temple where princess Gunnthrà is, and take her with us."

Kitsune gazed at the cooking group, which was this time composed of Kliff, Robin and Frederick once again. Frederick was the chef for everyone in the group, kinda. He was one of the best cooks, Kitsune had to admit. He was careful about cooking balanced meals for everyone despite their limited resources.  
"No need to hunt yet. We shouldn't lose our time trying to hunt when there's nothing to hide our moves like a forest."  
Alfonse said, and Kitsune nodded.

"Very well. Let's take a small break for the time we eat then and let's be back making our way."  
The prince nodded, acknowledging her decision.   
Today's meal was some of the fish Dorian gave them to thank them for their help, with some cooked potatoes and carrots. It was way enough for everyone. After the meal, as they were packaging back their stuff, Sharena opened the Nifl map.

"So Princess, we are going in the Temple's direction, yes, but where it is precisely? I don't see it at all on the map…"  
Fjorm nodded, putting her gaze on the map.

"It's normal. The Snjárhof Temple is a sacred and hidden temple, used to accomplish the Rite of Dreams. Which means it's only accessible to the royals wielding the sacred relics, the keys to the Temple. One of them is the Snjársteinn, a relic held by my sister Gunnthrà at the moment we speak, the other is Breidablik, the Great Hero's relic."

Sharena gave an amazed gaze to Kitsune, before focusing on the map.  
"So that means that the Temple will appear since we have the key?"

Fjorm nodded.  
"Exactly. I have never been to the Temple, but my sister said that it was right there."

She pointed at a visible cliff on the map.  
"Inside the Snjárklippa cliff, hidden underground in a sealed cavern… The Temple of Snjárhof. As I said, only the royals wielding one of the relics, keys of the Temple, will reveal the cavern. We are approximately two days of walking from the cliff. But we will have to be careful, as we don't know where the Muspellian army is at the moment."  
Sharena nodded, and Kitsune stretched her arms slowly. 

"Alright everyone, it's time to go! We don't have a lot of distance separating us from the Temple, so let's get back to walking! Tonight we'll find a place to sleep, and Lady Idunn, Myrrh, Lady Ninian, will watch over us. That doesn't keep you from having the possibility to guard the camp if you feel safer."  
Alfonse clapped in his hands, and the group departed once again. 

They walked, focused on their goal, and yet still observing their surroundings with caution, especially the sky that stayed clear. Nothing really happened during the end of the day. Robin and Kliff continued erasing the group's prints, and soon, the sky turned orange, almost red, before letting a dark blue take place. The stars were shining as the night advanced. The group finally stopped at the top of a non snowy hill. There were some pine trees around them, a sign that they were quickly walking away from the coast, which was a good sign.

They settled down the camp, everyone setting up the tents and preparing the campfire. A single little blow from Myrrh was enough for the wood to take immediately fire. Kitsune took a step back, still not used to this. And there she was about to suggest using a lighter… How stupid she was.

Once again, Kitsune had her own tent. It was small but enough for her. She never really liked too big space for her. She prefered when the space was almost fully filled with enough space to walk through. She was sitting on her couch when she heard someone outside.

"Kitsune…?"  
It was Fjorm's voice.  
"Princess Fjorm is that you? Come in please!"  
The Summoner was deep into reading some stories on her phone. A story about cats. Yes, she was reading Warriors at twenty-one years old and no one could stop her, not even God.

"I'm sorry to bother you Kitsune, it's just… That I am once again scared, so I thought talking with you would be reassuring, like the last times…"  
Kitsune turned her phone off, leaning her hazel gaze on the Niflese princess, surprised. It was not the first time she was playing therapist. She was often in this position in her realm with her own friends, often pushing aside her own anxiety to be there.  
"Do you need a distraction princess? I could tell you more about my world if you want."  
Fjorm smiled at the Summoner, approaching.

"I take this silence as a yes. Please do sit with me."  
She watched the princess sitting legs crossed next to her.  
"Do you have any questions about me or my world?"  
She was ready to answer.

"Do you have any siblings?"  
Kitsune smiled. Was she perhaps worried about her own?

"Why, yes, I have a younger sister. I am the oldest child in my family. She is four years younger than me, which means she's right now seventeen. We don't really look alike. I am blond, she has brown hair. I have almost green eyes, her eyes are dark. But despite those physical differences, I think we have a lot of similarities in nature and in our interests. She loves games, just like me, and stories too. We get along very well. I wonder what she's doing right now. She is in high-school after all."  
Kitsune sighed.

"And how was your life with your family?"  
The blond woman tilted her head on the side.  
"Let's see… I was living in a mid-sized house. Not too big but not too small. I had my mother, my father and my sister. During the week I was sleeping in a room at my superior school since it was far away from home, and during the week-end I was staying at home."

Kitsune took her phone, turning it on, to show some pictures of her family to the princess.  
"The curled brown haired woman here… It's my mother. Next to her is my dad. And then in the middle, my sister and me."  
Fjorm smiled.  
"You all look cute! I wish I could show you my mother too, but we don't have these artifacts to save images like yours."

The Summoner chuckled.  
"It's okay. We'll save more pictures when this war will be over."

Kitsune continued telling Fjorm about her daily life, how she was studying mostly literature, landscape geography, with a strong interest for drawing and writing stories too.  
"Oh… My little sister also loves writing stories. I am sure you two would get along. She often reads these stories to Gunnthrà and me during the bedtime…"  
She smiled, thinking about the happy times, then sighed.  
"Hríd and Ylgr… We still have no news from them. I wonder where they are…"

Kitsune watched her with a smile.  
"Don't worry, we will find them. I am sure they're hiding in some villages too…"  
Fjorm sighed, then smiled at her turn, a bit weakly.  
"Thank you for talking with me once again Summoner. Next time I'd love to hear about your stories!"

The Summoner winked.  
"I am glad to know this. Maybe we should sleep though now, it's getting late and I don't want Alfonse to scold us."  
Both chuckled.

"You're right. We'll probably reach the Temple of Snjárhof tomorrow. I can't wait to see my sister again… But for now, good night Kitsune."

The Summoned waved softly at the princess that left her tent, then sighed. She was thirsty as hell. Talking non-stop during so much time, she wasn't used to it.   
For a moment, Kitsune thought about the two other siblings of Fjorm and Gunnthrà. Where were they? Were they still in Nifl? 

She didn't know and hoped deeply that everything was fine for them…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yells I often reread my chapters and notice so many mistakes I am dumb *slams head against wall*  
> Anyway, we're finally in Nifl! I'm also very amazed some of yall just. took your whole time to read this thing that long, and I thank you dearly for that.  
> Next chapter is with Gunn ehe


	8. Hidden Temple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Order reaches the Snjárhof Temple and finds the eldest princess, who joins them in their journey.

Goodness, Kitsune really underestimated Nifl's weather. 

It was really cold this time. And since she wasn't really the most sensitive to the cold, she couldn't imagine it for the other. Though the others had armors to keep them warm. They were now far in the country, and trees weren't as rare as on the coast. Kitsune was focused on watching the local wildlife. They went across some deers, which were surprisingly still white despite Nifl starting spring like Askr, they also met a group of rabbits. They were so small, real furballs.   
"There are some wolves sometimes. Fortunately, they get out of the forest only when spring is ending, with their puppies. That's what my older brother told me."  
The Summoner hummed. Prince Hríd seemed to hold a large knowledge about his kingdom, and not only the cities, from what Fjorm told her.

"Hope we won't really have to cross some woods then."

Kitsune answered, still riding on Emi's back. Today, they changed positions. Kitsune was closing the walk with princess Fjorm as Alfonse and Sharena were leading the group. As there was less snow, Kliff and Robin stopped erasing their prints. From the heavily clouded sky and cold wind came a light snow. Small snowflakes, which would certainly stay if the cold temperature dured.  
"Hey Princess, how's winter in Nifl?"

Kitsune asked, curious. If that was the end of the winter, then she couldn't imagine how the actual middle of winter was.  
Fjorm thought about her question before answering.

"Nifl has a single climat covering the whole territory. It snows whatever the season, though well less between spring and summer. Winter is the most dangerous season for our inhabitants. Because this is the disease season. Colds are especially strong and if you ignore it, it can get worse and kill you. Fortunately, my sister, her scientists team and Jötun's scientist work hard together to develop a good remedy. This kind of cold also appears in the north of Jötun's kingdom. In winter, it can snow for weeks without stopping. There are frequently blizzards. Everyone tries to stay at home, fearing the cold. We may be used to it, sometimes it gets way too cold, even for us, Nifleses. Surtr and his army knew about that, and took us by surprise in the middle of winter, when no one was ready. The weather didn't stop him. He stayed strong against Nifl's howling and raging blizzard, and striked into our capital, Hvergelmir."

Kitsune frowned slightly. So Surtr really didn't care about the cold. Well. He was a literal human torch with immortal flames, so that wasn't so surprising.  
"Do you remember what your two siblings… Prince Hríd and princess Ylgr right, did when Muspel invaded?"  
Maybe it could give her a hint about where they were. Who knew.  
"Hríd was outside when I ran away. He was fighting with his soldiers group. He didn't seem afraid. He was determined, even if he knew he probably had no chances. I know his soldiers wouldn't let him die in battle. Ylgr was with my older sister Gunnthrà, who was helping her to hide I think…"  
Perfect. None of these informations could give her any ideas of where the two were.  
"Maybe Princess Gunnthrà will know more, especially about Princess Ylgr."  
Fjorm, worried, didn't answer, only nodding to her words. It pained the Summoner to see her in such a state. How much she was suffering with her death mother, and two of her siblings disappeared?

Later in the day, the Snjárklippa, finally appeared in the sight of everyone. The group was taken with a ray of joy, Fjorm not being able to hold back her smile and Sharena telling her that everything was alright. Everyone seemed to relax a bit as they were approaching the cliff.

The cliff itself was… Big. Enormous. It was really huge, and it was shining, even without any sun. There were some markings, sculpted in the ice. Seeing the Summoner apparently struggling searching what those markings were, the Princess chuckled.  
"This is old Niflese, from thousand and thousand years ago. My ancestors built the Temple with the help of ancient ice manaketes magic to protect the Rite of Dreams."

The snow started to fall a bit stronger than before, the wind also made everyone shiver.  
"Let's go, everyone. We cannot afford to wait more if a tempest is preparing…"  
Alfonse said, before hearing a yelp coming from Kitsune. Sharena turned back, worried.  
"Kitsune? Is there everything wrong?"

The Summoner was watching her belt which was shining in a blue light.  
"I… I think Breidablik is reacting to the cliff…"  
Fjorm whispered.  
"The key… We have to hurry, the gate to the cavern is about to open!"

The group rushed towards the cliff, when suddenly, a flash appeared, almost blinding everyone. It was a strong white light.  
"Don't look at the light, you may lose your eyes! Go forwards, go!"  
Fjorm shouted to the group, and all advanced, covering their eyes. 

After running a short moment with her eyes flushed, Kitsune felt a sudden pain; she just hit an icy wall.  
"Ouch…"  
She took off her arm from her eyes, stroking it with her free hand where she hit the wall. Sharena couldn't help but chuckle.  
"Kitsune! Are you okay?"  
She approached, and the Summoner sighed.  
"I'm fine, I'm fine."

Kitsune stopped talking, her gaze attired by some marks on the wall. Her eyes followed the markings, only to lay on a beautiful wall painting. It represented someone, in front of a giant Ice Dragon. The dragon was terrifying but painted with such a soft look… A kind of pale blue and shining smoke was escaping the dragon's mouth.

"Intrigued by the painting? It represents the first Queen of Nifl and the Dragon God Nifl creating this cavern with his magic and the help of Ice Manaketes."  
A chuckle came from the other side from where she was facing. This voice…

"Big Sister…? Gunnthrà, is that you?"

Fjorm's voice was trembling as someone took a step in front, revealing the First Niflese Princess. Her long blue dress was slightly covered in a shining snow, and her hand was put on her cheek. She smiled.  
"Welcome to the Temple of Snjárhof, dear Order of Heroes. Fjorm… I am so glad to see you unharmed."

Gunnthrà's eyes shone, and she opened her arms when her younger sister jumped against her, hugging her.   
"Gunnthrà… Gunnthrà… I'm so sorry… Mother…"  
The first princess shook her head.

"Fjorm… Do not blame yourself. You know we couldn't do anything. You had to get out alive to get help, and you did it. You succeeded."

Gunnthrà stroked her sister's back softly, as the Niflese soldiers accompanying the princess gathered around the two, some around the Order. Kitsune heard some of the soldiers whispering some "thank god" and looking at the two princesses with a happy expression. They seemed very glad to see that Fjorm was alive and not injured. It was heartwarming to see this scene.

"Kitsune… I am very happy to finally meet you. I can finally make a proper introduction. My name is Gunnthrà. I am the First Princess of Nifl. After the war started, I took refuge into this Temple thanks to the relic my Mother gave me, the Snjársteinn, and accomplished the Rite of Dreams with hope to get your help. I am also pleased to meet you, Prince Alfonse, Princess Sharena."

The siblings bowed, the Niflese princess bowed at her turn, and Kitsune smiled.  
"I am glad as well to meet you, Princess."

The Summoner bowed finally. Gunnthrà had a reassuring, almost motherly aura floating around her. Her blue gaze was so soft… She seemed to care about everyone here, even the people she just met.

"Seeing you unharmed means that you succeeded to make your way through Muspell's trap… You must be very strong to have resisted King Surtr's army. Now that you are here… My soldiers can finally join the hidden refugees villages to be in a safe place and protect the villagers."

The princess turned towards the soldiers who sighed. Apparently they were doing it kinda against their will. They must want to come with them. Alas, they didn't have enough resources for all of them. One of them approached. It was a woman with long white hair, and a different uniform than the other. Maybe a leader? A captain? She was holding a bow.

"Princess. Are you sure we must quit you? Are you sure you are safe with the Askrans?"

Gunnthrà looked at her.  
"Please do not worry, Laura. These soldiers come from another world to help us, they are Heroes. You need to protect the villagers in case of an attack, I will be fine with them."

The woman -Laura apparently- bowed.  
"Understood Princess. We will leave when all the soldiers will be ready."

She clapped in her hands, and all the other soldiers gathered around her, preparing their stuff to leave. Gunnthrà turned around Alfonse.

"Prince Alfonse, I am ready to leave as soon as possible. We must hurry to the Temple of Glasera before Surtr find us or return to his Kingdom to corrupt the spear Vegsvinn and attack Jötun…"

Alfonse nodded calmly.  
"You are right Princess. But first… We should take a little break before leaving. We've been walking since this morning…"

Gunnthrà chuckled.  
"Oh of course… There is a small room next to the Rite area. You can sit and eat something here."  
Kitsune watched the two talking and smiled softly. Fjorm was in a way better mood. It was clearly noticeable. 

Watching the campfire and the beef meat roasting above it, it smelled really good. Kitsune didn't notice how hungry she was. In front of her, were the two niflese sisters. They seemed to discuss things she couldn't hear. They seemed very happy… Focusing on the meat again, it took some time for her to notice how Fjorm was calling her.

"Kitsune, Kitsune…! Come here please…"  
The Summoner got up, and sat down next to the two.  
"Did you need me, Princesses?"

Gunnthrà nodded.  
"Yes. I need to tell you about how we will proceed to join the Temple of Glasera. You see… I told you about Nifl's biggest river, Sieg. In normal conditions, it would be impossible to cross it. The bridges are guarded by the Muspellian army. Fortunately, there is a passage, unknown by the enemy forces, but known by the Niflese army. It was built in case of a war. This initiative was well thought…"  
She sighed.

"So that means we can focus on crossing the river without having to worry about Muspel… It's a pretty good news."   
Kitsune nodded.  
"I will discuss this with Alfonse. For now, you can both rest. We'll probably leave tomorrow as this place is safe since we have the keys to access the Temple of Snjárhof."

The blonde woman smiled. Finally… Maybe it was time to relax a bit…

Tomorrow's morning, the group rose up early. When Kitsune got out of her tent, she noticed princess Gunnthrà talking with the white haired woman from yesterday. Her name was Laura if the Summoner could recall correctly. Her helmet yesterday made that she couldn't see her eyes, but now she could see them. They were a beautiful golden color. Noticing that she was staring, she turned away her gaze before hearing Laura complaining. 

"Ymir? You want us to go to Ymir…? But that's way too far from you, Princess! How can we protect you in case something happens…?"

Gunnthrà shook her head, and Kitsune focused to listen to the conversation.

"Captain, I know you worry over me. But even as Royal Guards, your first job is to protect the people of Nifl. Ymir, a village located at the south-east, has no guards with them. Yes, the village is situated in the Éljùdnir forest and that is enough for the villagers to be protected, but they still need guards. Don't forget what Muspell did with the forest at the east of Hvergelmir some days ago to attack us."

Laura seemed to be conflicted. She wanted to protect the people, and at the same time, she wanted to protect the princess.  
"Laura, I will be fine with the Order and my sister. Please do not worry about me."

Noticing the Summoner was looking at them, Gunnthrà smiled.  
"Well… If this isn't the Great Hero. Kitsune please, come here for a second…"

A bit shyly, the blonde woman approached the two others. Laura was taller than her from almost a head. She was pretty intimidating, and yet Kitsune could distinguish the deep worry in her eyes.

"Laura, this is Kitsune. She is Askr's Great Hero, and the relic Breidablik's wielder. She guided my sister to us and helped them escape an embuscade from Muspell. With her at our sides, I know I will be safe. You can leave to Ymir without any worries with the other soldiers." 

The white-haired woman glanced at the Summoner, doubtfully. She was struggling to trust Gunnthrà's words. The princess was wise, she was saying the truth. And at the same time, she was doubting her words. What if something they weren't expecting happened? What if they were hurt? Or worse? Kitsune could feel her fear through her whole body. It was an unpleasant feeling. Being empathic was sometimes a weight, she admitted. All the fear from the others could become her own, and that was toxic for her mental health. That happened already in her realm, and she promised herself to not let that happen again.

"It's nice to meet you, Captain Laura, even if it's for a small amount of time. My name is Kitsune, and I am who Zenith calls the Great Hero. With this title comes enormous responsibilities, and protecting the people in need is one of them. I may not be the strongest, but I have allies with me to help me. I chose them to come to Nifl with me and trust them completely. I know you're not trusting me and I understand why. After all, I am a foreigner. But no matter what, I won't let anything arrive to the Princess. You can count on me."

She masked her own doubt in her voice, trying to look calm and confident. She couldn't start to be anxious like the captain in front of her, even with the responsibilities. Alfonse and Sharena were here to help her after all. Laura analyzed her and her words, staying silent for a moment. Her golden gaze wandered then above her soldier troop, to lay on the Order. Everyone was packaging to prepare to leave. She let out a sigh.

"... Alright Princess. Understood. We will leave for Ymir. There, we will protect the villagers and wait for you and the Order to return. Please stay safe. Lady… Kitsune. I entrust you with the task of keeping Princess Gunnthrà safe. She is our next Queen, Nifl's hope. Please do protect Princess Fjorm as well. I will now depart with my troop."

Laura turned back, glancing a last time at Kitsune. The worry had disappeared from her eyes, it was now a warning to the Summoner. But once again, Kitsune could understand. 

About fifteen minutes after the conversation between the Captain, the Summoner and the Princess, the soldiers all left on their horses, some walking next to them. Gunnthrà stayed until the gate closed in front of her. Kitsune was at her sides.  
"Will they be alright?"

The Niflese Princess nodded.   
"They will. Laura is probably one of the strongest women I've ever met. She wields the bow like no one in our army. She has an advantage against Muspell's wyverns, and her soldiers only watch her with respect and admiration. She comes from a small village at the south-west of Nifl. Her family still lives there. She joined the army to protect them first, but her capacities made that she ended in the Royal Guard. She often worries, but she doesn't hesitate to fight at all when she feels any Niflese is in danger."

The princess sighed, before turning to the Summoner.  
"We should depart too. It seems that the Order is ready." She said, as she watched Fjorm arriving towards them with Alfonse and Sharena. The Askran Prince nodded.

"Kitsune, we are ready. We can leave."  
Kitsune put her hands on her hips, a small smile on her lips.

"Good! Then let's go! We'll take the usual formation. Is that okay with you? Princess Gunnthrà, you'll come with me leading the group to guide us to the Temple of Glasera. Princess Fjorm will ride with you. Are you okay with that?"

Gunnthrà nodded with a smile.  
"Of course I am."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small chapter for today, as my finals start soon sobs  
> I don't know if I'll have the strength to post the next chapters during the next two weeks, but I'll soon be on break wheezes.   
> If y'all have any question about Kit btw, or the others ocs, don't hesitate to ask!


	9. The Threat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group leaves the Sanctuary, heading now to the Glasera Temple.

It was snowing when they sealed the cavern once again. Kitsune now knew what looked like the other sacred relic, Snjársteinn. To be sure, it was pretty small. It could hold in Princess Gunnthrà's palm.

"Tell me, Princess. Where do the two relics come from? If they are linked to a Temple in Nifl, does that mean that they belonged both to Nifl? In that case why is Breidablik in the hands of Askr?"

Kitsune was curious. She was very interested in all kinds of mythologies. She studied them all a lot when she was still in highschool. But here, it was a whole new world, with magic and dragons. Things must be not that different with her own realm, but she still wanted to know.

"Breidablik isn't a Niflese relic. It is one of Askr's royal treasures, just like Snjársteinn is to Nifl. Long time ago, Nifl and Askr fought Muspell. It happened approximately 300 years ago. At this time, Askr and Nifl formed an alliance to fight against Muspell's attempted invasion. There was a Hero, just like you, who wielded Breidablik, fighting at Askr and Nifl's sides. The Temple of Snjárhof was only sealed with Snjársteinn. But after the war, the old King of Nifl and King of Askr decided to entrust Breidablik with the power of Snjárhof in case another invasion happened again. They summoned the Dragon God Nifl to help them, and that is why your relic holds a Niflese power. Breidablik and its wielder went back to Askr when the war ended."

Kitsune hummed, taking mental notes. She knew it wasn't Muspell's first attempt at invading Nifl, but why always begin with this kingdom?  
...  
Probably because they were the weakest for them, not only due to their peaceful nature, but also because they didn't have the good weapons against them. They still waited 300 years before attempting to invade the kingdom again. 

After this conversation, Kitsune let the two princesses talk between them. She could hear their discussion, as she was not flying too high and far from them.  
"When the war will end… We should bury Mother correctly. Surtr let her corpse rotten in the throne room. He has no heart… Mother didn't even try to defend herself. If the guards didn't keep me from attacking… Maybe I could have…"

It was Fjorm speaking. Gunnthrà answered as soon as the princess hesitated to continue.

"No, you couldn't have. The guards did a good job. Keeping you safe, so you could fill your task, my dear. Mother didn't want any of us to die for Nifl. Because if we died… Who would watch over the people…? She entrusted me with the responsibility of watching over you three. But alas… I've lost sight of Hríd and Ylgr… And I do not know where they are at the moment."

Gunnthrà's voice was somber. She was scared and worried for her two other siblings.  
"But… Didn't you help Ylgr to hide in the castle when Muspel invaded? You didn't take her with you…?"

Kitsune heard a sigh, probably coming from the eldest princess.  
"Muspell, having no interest in staying in our capital, I came back some days later before hiding in the Temple of Snjárhof. But alas, when I looked up in the hiding spot I gave her before I ran away from the castle, it was empty. I do fear the fact that she has been captured or worse. We must be strong and keep hope though."

Fjorm was silent for a long moment.  
"What about Hríd…?"  
Was finally the question that got out of her mouth, pretty hardly. This time, Gunnthrà didn't answer immediately.

"I saw him fighting with the Muspellian army with some soldiers from the Royal Guard. Do you think he is…?"

Fjorm couldn't finish her question, too afraid of saying more.

"No. He is not. I saw the soldiers yelling and waving at him so he could escape. And I saw him take his stallion and run away in the direction of the Heim Gates." The Princess said, quietly.  
"The Heim Gates? So he took the direction to the south?"  
Gunnthrà nodded.  
"Yes. Towards Söđenhof."

Söđenhof must be the southern region of Nifl, Kitsune thought, while still staring in front of her in silence.

"Although… I do not know what he has been doing since this day. I think he tried to accomplish a kind of Rite of Dreams to contact me. But each time, there wasn't enough power nor time, and he faded away before I could ask him anything. Probably due to the fact that he wasn't in the Temple to accomplish it correctly. But that gave me hope that he is still alive right now."

Fjorm looked at her sister.  
"When was his last attempt?"

Gunnthrà thought for a moment, recalling her last days, even weeks.  
"It has been a little bit more than a week. He must be wandering through the country alone and hungry… Oh my dear brother…"

Kitsune heard some pats given against the princess's back.  
"Don't worry, Sister… I am sure he is handling this better than we think. After all, he is a proper soldier and one of Nifl's most powerful weapon. He got a strict training when he was a soldier in the army, thanks to our Father."

Gunnthrà sighed.  
"And yet, I cannot help but worry about him, nor Ylgr."

Kitsune did not interact with their family discussion. It felt as if she would bother if she did, even if both were worried. Maybe they needed someone to rely on… Someone else from their family. Kitsune promised herself to look for the two lost siblings, no matter what.

After a while walking, the snow got stronger. Kitsune couldn't really see well in front of her. She was too close to the ground. Slowly, she indicated to Emi to go higher in the air. Fjorm and Gunnthrà watched her curiously.  
"Are you okay Kitsune? Is there anything wrong?"

The blonde woman sighed.  
"Well… I can't see the road very well because of the snow. I don't know which direction to take…"  
Gunnthrà watched the sky attentively, a slight worry on her face.  
"Mh… This wind… I do fear a snowstorm coming soon."

Kitsune halted.   
"A blizzard? We have to find a safe place where we won't be burried under the snow… Alfonse! Let's focus on finding a spot, there is a high blizzard risk!"

The Askran prince frowned, glancing up at the clouds above them. Sharena shivered when a cold wind went down her back.  
"Alright, let's hurry. We have to find something."

All the infantry people climbed on a mount, horse, wyvern or pegasus, and they started galloping -or flying faster- through the snow. Now there was no time to erase the prints. The blizzard would do its job itself. 

The wind started to howl, and very quickly, the snow got stronger and stronger, recovering soon the whole group. From where she was, she finally saw something.  
"There is a ruined stone house right there! It seems pretty big with some towers around, we could stick there and stay with a strong ceiling above us!"

Kitsune and the others rushed, until finally arriving at the house. They succeeded to put the mounts in the two towers, while the Heroes entered the stone house. Kitsune sighed once protected from the snow. The wind was very strong, and it was pretty cold right now. She closed her coat to keep her warmth for her body, and observed their shelter. It was an abandoned house. No sign of burns, which meant that Muspell probably didn't destroy it, it was already like this since years. 

There was some ivy which growed through the stones forming the walls. Above them was a wooden ceiling, and it only had three small holes from where some snowflakes from the blizzard could pass. Under their feet, the ground was made of stones, some missings. There were pretty much a lot of spider webs, which was pretty normal in such a house. It was really chilly. The Summoner's gaze wandered over the Heroes which tried to heat up themselves. She watched Alfonse.

"Should we make a small campfire? I saw some unused wood planks in one of the towers…"

Alfonse nodded. He seemed pretty cold too, which was another good reason to start a campfire. The ceiling was high enough to not get fired by the flames, and the wind wasn't really entering the house too much due to the low windows -there was one and pretty small one on the front wall- so they could keep some heat for everyone.

"It would be very appreciated, Summoner…"

Kitsune let out a chuckle before opening the wooden front door and stepped out in the snow. 

God. She thought she was about to fly away because of the wind. Holding herself to the stones, she walked pretty hardly through the snow. Entering the towers where the mounts were resting, she sighed. She could hear the wind twice louder than in the house due to the high ceiling. She shivered once again. It wasn't really reassuring to have a blizzard outside. It was the first time she actually witnessed one. In her realm it was snowing approximately each year, but it wasn't as strong as here… Wasn't it the beginning of spring? Well. She could remember Fjorm saying that it was pretty much snowing all the year all over the kingdom. She gathered the wooden planks, before leaving the tower and the mounts inside. 

Once outside, she tried her best to not lose her grip on the planks with one hand and hold herself to the stones with the other. After what seemed an hour for her (when it lasted ten minutes), she reached the big wooden doors, carefully not opening it too much so the wind wouldn't freeze everyone inside. She sneaked through the house and then sighed, finally safe. Sharena approached with a smile.  
"Kitsune! You did it! There, let me help you…"

She took a part of the wooden planks and let the Summoner get up.  
"Goodness, I thought the wind would make me fly away."

Fjorm chuckled next to Gunnthrà.  
"I fear that if you were shorter and less heavy, you could fly away with the blizzard's wind… This strength is not to underestimate."  
As the two women were stacking the planks together, Kitsune laughed soflty.  
"Well, I can confirm this. We really have to stay inside until the storm calms down…"

Saying this, she took out her tome, and whispered a small incantation before the campfire started immediately. Slowly but surely, the fire grew, and the Order came around the fire, to get some warmth. Camus was rubbing his hands together to warm them up. Lethe, was her rubbing her legs. She wasn't really covered, but still seemed to be fine. Myrrh was snuggling up against Idunn and Ninian. The two dragon ladies seemed to be fine. Idunn because she was well covered and Ninian due to her good cold resistance. 

"We can rest now until the blizzard passes. After that we'll have to take the path again. If the storm happens to stop during night time, we'll probably camp here, as the shelter is pretty good and keeps heat for everyone inside."

Everyone agreed at Alfonse's words, and sat together, circling the fire.

Almost an hour after, Kitsune was snoozing slightly in the house, her shoulder against Sharena's one. The princess was also fast asleep. Alfonse was walking in circles, checking the window often to check up on the blizzard which wasn't at all calming down. It was pretty much a curse for the Order. The blizzard was dangerous, and was slowing them down from their goal, the Temple of Glasera. As everyone seemed rather quiet and resting, Fjorm was up, staring at the ceiling in silence. Between her semi-closed eyes, the Summoner could see her circling too, but not like Alfonse. The prince was watching over the blizzard and walking to stay warm. Fjorm's walk was… Way less confident. She seemed uneasy, worried.

"Fjorm, you seem stressed. Is there anything wrong?"

Gunnthrà asked. The princess stood for a minute silent before laying her gaze down to the ground.  
"I… I don't know. I feel weird. It's as if… I felt observed. This calm… It's too calm…"

Camus turned his gaze towards, squeezing his lance in his hand.  
"I agree with Princess Fjorm. The wind may howl outside, I feel something is wrong in this house. Muspell does not fear the blizzards. They should have noticed us by the time."

Kitsune opened her eyes as Alfonse took his sword in his hand.  
"Let's be cautious. We do not want to risk any-"

The prince couldn't finish his sentence as an explosion ignited the whole ceiling. The Heroes just had enough time to press themselves against the wall, Ninian shielding Myrrh. Lethe had her tail and ears dressed, and Robin already had her tome open. The wind howled inside the house as Sharena jumped awake, surprised.  
"W… What…? What's happening?"

Kitsune took her tome while watching above them. There were wyverns. There were more than ten.  
"We are attacked. We cannot stay here, we have to get out!"

Alfonse watched at Kitsune.  
"But Summoner! What about the blizzard?"  
Kitsune groaned, as Fjorm answered.

"We'll run on a mount, and we'll try to slaughter them when they're chasing us! Lord Klein, Sir Python, please lend us your bows!"

The two men nodded, and the Heroes got out.

"If we stay inside, we are easily targeted. Small space, lots of people. The damages will be maximal."  
Kitsune said as they took their mounts. Emi was panicked by the fire shot by the Muspellian wyvern riders above them. She heard a strong voice among the group, a woman's voice.

"Burn everything down, and chase them! Do not let them escape!"

The Summoner watched above to see a woman with a different uniform -maybe one of their general-. She had dark green hair and red eyes with a dark toned skin, and was holding a flaming sword, riding her wyvern with a strong confidence. Yeah. She was the one leading those mages atop their wyverns. 

"Kitsune! Please focus on the way and be careful!"

The Order started to flee, trying their best through the snow. The wind was going at their right side, which made it pretty easy for the flyers especially. Kitsune had difficulties riding and avoiding the fireballs. Klein and Python were turned towards the wyverns, trying to shoot at them. Klein dodged very closely a fire spell before shooting at his turn, hitting the wings of one of the wyvern. Seeing one of the soldiers falling, Kitsune heard the general groaning. But she did not give up for this.  
"Shoot!"

Another wave of fireballs went through the group, hitting very closely the horses who roared, scared. Most of the Heroes could handle this though. Lethe was gripped to Eliwood's waist, Robin was trying her best to hold Frederick, Kliff almost fell from Camus's horse. Fjorm and Gunnthrà were far in the front, Gunnthrà's horse galloping without problems through the snow. Alfonse and Sharena were on Minerva's back with Cherche. Lissa and Ethlyn were fleeing together, close to the two niflese princesses, Idunn and Myrrh were flying as fast as they could, Ninian was trying to help Elincia with shooting some blue energy to the wyverns;

"Come on everyone, faster! We'll make them lost!"

Python shooted. Another soldier fell. Taking the advantage of the general's confusion, Klein shot another row of arrows. This time, two other soldiers fell, making the group down to six counting the general. The wind howled stronger suddenly, almost dragging the Muspellian wyverns with it. The green haired woman groaned, with an angry face.  
"Muspell, let's retreat!"

Kitsune heard coming from the sky above us.

"But General Laegjarn! How about the enemies?"  
Someone -a soldier probably- asked.  
"I cannot risk another soldier's life through that blizzard and with archers, we'll come back better prepared! Retreat!"

With some groans and cursing words, the Muspellian troop turned back, flying in the opposite direction from them.

"Kitsune! They are leaving! We can slow down for a bit!"

As the Order slowed their run, the wind started to get stronger and stronger.

"A… Alfonse! I cannot go down at your level!"  
Kitsune said, panicking.

"Don't worry, we'll get you! Lady Cherche, can you…?"

The woman shook her head.  
"No. I cannot. The wind is too strong. If Minerva gets higher… We're gonna get taken away."

The group of Heroes were now almost walking. Sharena shouted, worried.  
"Kitsune! Please try to get down! Make your pegasus walk with the horses so you don't get dragged with the wind!"

The Summoner could hear the princess. Trying to focus, she sighed.  
"C'mon Emi. It's time."

As the flyers were landing, she tried to get down. But as she was about to land at her turn… A violent gust of wind came, stronger than any other before that. Emi's wings couldn't take it, and the pegasus was blown away with his Summoner, far in the blizzard.

"Kitsune!"  
Both Sharena and Fjorm shouted at the storm, as the figure of the blond woman disappeared in the snow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hh I'm back from my exams where I got sick in the middle of the second week wheezes  
> I had to rest a lot so I couldn't update but I'm fine and back now!  
> Man, being taken in a blizzard musn't be very good.  
> Who's gonna appear in the next chapter? I wonder.


	10. Isolation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kitsune finds herself separated from the group and wanders in a forest.

Cold. It was very cold. And it was dark. Probably because her eyes were closed, though. But it was too cold on her face to dare to open them… Mh…? Something was blowing warm air on the top of her head. She felt that her hair was pulled slightly too. Then, she heard heavy steps in the snow, as if something tried to wake her up.   
Trying to get up, she shivered, putting a hand to her forehead. Her head was kinda spinning… When Kitsune finally opened her eyes, it was still dark. And in front of her, chewing some of her hair, was standing Emi, her pegasus. The horse neighed softly seeing she was finally back to herself, ears right straight. Kitsune finally realized where she was and caught up with what happened.

The blizzard dragged her away from the group when she tried to land. She remembered hearing Emi panicking and trying to fly but the wind was too strong for him. They spinned, changed direction, and the Summoner couldn't handle the pressure, cold and moves of her body in the wind, she passed out. Fortunately, the snow had completely amortized both her and Emi's fall, and the pegasus fell not very far away from her.

"Emi… You alright pal?"

She got up hardly, holding onto one of the pegasus's wings, and checked up on him. He had no visible injuries, was walking correctly, and didn't seem to be in pain anywhere, which was a good new. It was night. Kitsune looked at her phone miraculously intact. Approximately 2am. Goodness. For how long did the blizzard take them away? For how long did she pass out? Since how much time was she here?  
She didn't know. But what she knew, right now, was that she was alone, lost, in an unknown kingdom, and she was cold and hungry. Good! Perfect! Amazing! What could go worse? Probably being found by night predators or more likely a Muspellian patrol. In any case she had to move, and fast. Oh wait. Emi had his packages on his sides. Oh.

Hurrying towards the pegasus, she took the four bags and put them down, sitting in the snow.

The first bag was full of food. Few has been lost. God bless. And she had a pretty good quantity. For probably two weeks alone, maybe more if she decided to eat a bit less. The second bag had her tent, along with her fluffy blanket from her room. The third one had some medicine in it. That was reassuring in case of injuries… Finally, the last bag had her personal stuff. Her tome, Färge, her notebook, some sweets she brought from Askr, two pencils,a pocket knife (Alfonse insisted that she takes one), the small white fox plush Sharena gifted her for her birthday as she was still a child in her mind, and the plush being filled with lavender, it calmed her down in case of a panic attack, a towel for washing herself, and Breidablik.

So everything was fi-  
Wait a minute.

She checked the fourth bag again. Where was Breidablik? Did it get off the bag during the blizzard? Impossible, it was closed when she took them. Then… How? How did she lose it? 

Finally, she remembered. Breidablik wasn't in her bags. It was in Princess Gunnthrà's bags. Tired, yesterday, she wasn't careful enough and stored it in the wrong bag.  
"Oh Emi. Why am I such a dumbass…"

With Breidablik, which was linked to Snársteinn, she could have opened a gate to where the group was exactly.   
But now? Great! She was forced to survive alone in a totally freezing unknown place, where enemies were living and looking for her! 

She slapped her forehead, angry at herself for a good moment, before sighing and packing back the bags on Emi's sides. She climbed up on him after some minutes.  
"Let's go big boy, we have to find a shelter… I'm cold and tired, and so must you be."  
She took the reins in her hands, and Emi started to fly at a very low altitude, to just avoid walking in the heavy snow.

Emi was flying slowly. Kitsune was observing her surroundings. She was in a big snowy field. The sky was clear, the stars and the moon quarter were shining, illuminating the snow and revealing the night life. There was a forest in front of her.   
Kitsune started to think. Fjorm did say that there were wolves in the forest at this time of the year. And she was mostly alone. Without Idunn nor Ninian nor Myrrh's senses, she was completely free to be tracked down.

"Mh…"

What was the best? Choosing between Muspell's troops and the wolves, she chose the wolves. She could probably find a tree high enough to rest, eat something and sleep with her blanket. Plus… She could kill in the last resort the wolves way more easily than the soldiers. Gulping, she changed Emi's direction and let him fly towards the forest.

It was half past two in the morning when Kitsune finally reached the forest. It was a pine trees forest, nothing really not normal as pines were way more resistant to the cold than other trees. Due to the branches, there was also less snow on the grassy ground. This time, she had to let Emi walk because she didn't want to eat one of the branches. 

She suffered enough back in Askr when she was learning how to ride a pegasus and fly correctly with Palla. She couldn't remember how many branches she took in the face. It was… An unpleasant feeling, to say. The Summoner yawned. The fatigue was quickly catching her, not only her mind, but also her body. Her body felt really sore and heavy, her muscles were tired from having been pulled with the wind. Her head felt a bit dizzy. She had to hurry…

Fortunately soon, a huge pine tree, way larger than the other, appeared in her sight. The branches were big enough to probably handle her weight for the night… Looking closer, the trunk was fissured in two starting at half of the tree's height. The leaves were red. This tree was a dying tree… But this hole. It was big enough for her to roll in a ball and high enough to prevent the wolves from finding her. Plus, the wood around her would prevent her from falling. Above the hole, the branches were dense enough to be considered as a good ceiling. 

So, she finally found her shelter didn't she? Slowly, she made Emi fly towards the hole, and sneaked in. It was rather clean and dry despite the snow. She took the bag with her personal stuff as well as the food bag, and finally sticked out the blanket from the bag where her tent was.

"Now go, get some rest, big boy."

She patted the pegasus's head, who just shook his mane and went down, landing next to the tree and taking as a small shelter an enormous branch with long leaves that reached the ground. It was like a leaves shack. How cute, Kitsune thought. 

Once she was well installed, it was past three in the morning. The Summoner ate an apple she found in her food bag, checking up on what she had exactly. Some fish, some beef meat too, with salt to conserve them, and some fruits with vegetables. It was varied, which was very good. She wasn't a really good cook, but she would try her best to survive until she finds the group. 

The problem was that she did not know where she was, and she had no maps.   
She knew she needed to join the group at the Temple of Glasera, where they could accomplish the Rite of Frost… But in which direction was it? How could she find it? She needed to find a village. But where could that village be? Would the villagers even trust her as she was a foreigner? It would be so much easier if she had a Niflese with her… Hey, unfortunately she had no one but Emi with her. It was already nice that he was here. He would be such a great help… 

She sighed. Well, it was really late. She needed to sleep at least a bit and move as soon as she'd wake up. Kitsune relaxed slowly, rolled up in a burrito in her fluffy and soft blanket. It was really warm like this…   
Kitsune fell asleep with the thought of being lucky to have such a high body temperature in this cold kingdom.

When the Summoner woke up, the sun was already pretty high in the sky. She ate another apple as breakfast, it would be enough. It was already past half eight in the morning when she finally passed her head through the hole where she had her kind of nest. She clapped twice in her hands firmly. Soon enough, Emi was in front of her, flapping his wings and standing still, and she could put back the bags at his sides.

"Good morning Emi. I hope you rested enough, we are going to wander a lot today…"

She sighed while climbing on the pegasus's back. It was… Rather weird that she wasn't panicking just like she would have done usually. Maybe… Because she was used to it? Kinda? After all she's been thrown in a new whole world with magic and dragons once again. She wondered if Emi ate. Probably. After all the grass was colored with a good green here, despite the snow. Patting his neck, she smiled.  
"Alright pal, it's time to go."

That's how the Summoner took the way, walking through the forest. Luckily, the sky was clear, and so like this, she tried her best to follow the north, being careful about the sun being at her left. The Temple of Glasera was in the Hjarnhof region, the northern region of Nifl. It would probably be the coldest one. She hoped dearly that she was not too far, as she was lost. The woods were rather calm, there was the sound of the birds chirping, and the wind through the leaves of the trees. The same wind that separated her brutally from the Order and dragged her in all the direction before throwing her violently in the snow was now just a small caress on her face. She sighed. No one could resist against the strength of Nature, even less humans. It was just useless and painful struggling.

About two hours after, Kitsune felt more bored and annoyed than actually panicked about her situation. She hesitated to get out her phone and play Pokemon on the emulator while letting Emi fly in which direction he wanted.   
But alas, it wasn't possible. She had to follow the path and be careful about… Muspell. 

And when suddenly, the sound of wings flapping reached the Summoner's ears, she didn't hesitate, flying away straight forward. Luckily, there was a huge rock that made like a small cavern, with ice coming from the rock. She hid there quickly, holding closely Emi's neck, holding her breath and not making a single sound. She was ready to take out Färge at each moment.   
Goodness, they were really at low altitude and flying slowly, as if they were looking for something. She could even hear voices.

"Come on. You saw the prints. There is a single cavalier here. Whoever it is, they can't go away."  
It was a man's voice.

"Sir! The prints stopped. Are you really sure these are recent?"  
This one was a woman's voice. The man, probably the patrol leader, groaned. He was apparently annoyed to learn about the disappeared prints.

"Come on. They have to be. General Laegjarn reported that one of their damn leaders was blown away in the blizzard and lost somewhere. It's our chance. If we catch them, or make them disappear for good, we will be rewarded, and we will step on those Askrans who dared challenge King Surtr and our undying flames."  
A low chuckle resonated. A chuckle that the Summoner didn't like at all.

"What we know right now is that they cannot be so far. But not here. Let's continue toward the south, where the prints started, to see if there are more and come back after we determine where they are headed."  
The flapping sound and the voice were lower and lower, until Kitsune didn't hear anything else.

So they knew about her being lost. That Laegjarn… It was the woman with green hair. She kinda looked like the first general they fought. Laevatein was it? Well, now wasn't the time to think about it. She had to get away, and quickly.   
Good. She was finally starting to panic now. Being lost alone in an unknown kingdom was something, being lost in an unknown kingdom alone and being hunted down by the enemies was something else. She couldn't fight them at all, she was trapped.   
If she was caught… She was dead. 

Feeling her heart beating faster from the fear, she held Emi's neck a bit stronger before taking a long breath. She had to hide and move carefully. Maybe it was more sure to move during the night? Probably not due to the wolves. She decided to still move, as time was passing which meant less time before the Muspellian troop came back. She climbed on Emi's back, and flew at a low altitude. It was better to not leave any prints anymore.

It was noon, almost evening, when she came across a river.   
She needed some clean water. She observed the water slowly, judging that it was clean enough as it was transparent. She never saw such clean water in her realm, in any forest. Everything was polluted. Slowly, she approached the river's side, letting Emi eat some of the bushes' leaves over there. An empty glass bottle in her hand, she crouched down to fill it with clean water, when on the opposite side, the bushes shook slightly. Her gaze laid on the bushes, wondering what was hiding there, when… 

A white horse appeared. It was a tall white with light blue mane and tail stallion. He had a bridle and a saddle equipped with… A sort of blue blanket on his croup. But this wasn't that which surprised Kitsune the most. The blanket had some Nifl insignias hung up. Someone was there, in these woods, with her. Someone from Nifl. Probably a soldier considering the horse's attire. But why weren't they with this horse? The stallion leaned over the river to drink a little, his ears straight forwards. He was watching curiously Emi. Trying to not scare the horse, Kitsune went back toward her own mount. She climbed on his back, and started to fly to cross the river. As she was reaching the opposite slowly, the white stallion turned back, trotting away.   
If they could follow this horse… Maybe they'll reach his owner.

Kitsune didn't know for how much time she followed the stallion. He was jumping most of the bushes and branches, heading forward. Quickly, the Summoner checked her phone. They've been following the horse for now fifteen minutes. Was there really an owner to this horse? Maybe they've been following him to only find out that the horse had a dead owner? 

Her doubts stopped when suddenly, they found themselves in a small flowery valley. Most of the ground was dry, indicating that it didn't snow during the last days. The stallion stopped at his turn, in front of something. Kistune jumped from Emi's back, worried. She hoped it wasn't a rock or some flowers… But when she saw what was in front of her and the stallion, she gasped.

There was a body there.

Kitsune snapped out of her internal questions, rushing toward the person who was laying down. It was a man. A man in armor similar to Fjorm's armor… She tried her best to roll him over. He had terrible burns over his face, and his ripped clothes also showed injuries and other burns. Kitsune approached her ear from his mouth.

He was breathing. The man was alive. Thank goodness. But he was really in a bad state. She had to find a place to give him medicine. Possibly not here, visible from the sky. She turned towards the white horse which was pushing his muzzle against the man's cape.  
"Is that your master…?" 

Freak, he was damn tall and large. And probably way heavier than her. And yet, she couldn't let him just here. Gathering most of her strength, she passed one of his arms around her shoulder, catching his waist, and pushed, strongly. He was really heavy, no doubt heavier than what he was already due to his armors and clothes. The stallion took a step back, surprised. Kitsune was glad that this training Alfonse forced her to do wasn't that useless. As she could, she put him on the white stallion's back, then took the reins, before getting back on top of Emi.

"Alright… Let's find a shelter for us four…"

She mumbled, directing her pegasus towards the woods once again. As she was walking with the two horses and the unconscious man, she observed him curiously. He had lavender hair with some icy blue tips. He had similar clothes to the two other sisters… But most intriguing, he had a crown. A golden crown around his head. Was he a noble? A Niflese General? He was definitely a soldier, considering the huge ice sword she found next to him and hung up to the white stallion.

When she found a rock assemble similar to the one she hid herself when the Muspell patrol passed above her, she decided that the spot was perfect. It was protected from the snow and rain, and dry, mostly. But most importantly, it was big enough for them two to fit with the horses. She had a lot of things to do. First of all, healing this man. Getting out her blanket, she laid him down inside, before taking his armors slowly with his cape and his… Tunique? It looked like a dress, but it was way thicker and bigger.   
The man had a shirt under this. He was probably well protected from the cold. She folded the damaged dress and put it aside with his armors. Then, she took her medicine bags, taking out what she needed. She started by the cuts, cleaning the wounds and the dried blood from it. As she came to the cut on his cheek, she stopped for a moment while observing him. This man… Did she know him?   
She had a weird sensation, and yet, she couldn't recall what. She bandaged his cuts, and then took care of his burns, using her hands to administer some healing spells Ethlyn taught her. She applied her cold hand onto the burn, a small blue light coming from under her palm. She took her time, being careful of her surroundings. She almost jumped when she felt a jolt coming from the body underneath her and heard a pained groan. 

She sighed, talking as softly as she could.  
"I'm sorry if it hurts, I promise it's gonna be finished soon…"

She continued pressing her hand against his other burns. Goodness. That burn on his left side was a really bad one. His skin was really pale, she noted. After a while, she applied bandages on his burns, and covered him with the blanket. She swore she heard a tiny sigh coming from the man, who seemed more relaxed. Very well. The priority was done. Now… 

She gathered some wood before taking out her tome and starting a small campfire.

The sun went down as she prepared some beef meat with boiled potatoes for dinner. The horses were standing together, freed from their equipment, resting under a big pine tree. Kitsune was careful to cook enough food for two, when she noticed the stallion also had side bags. Maybe the man had useful things in these… 

With a needle and some wool she found in one of his bags, she tried her best to repair his clothes, to the price of her having some small needle wounds almost all over her hands. Curse these things… As she was continuing trying to fix this damn dress, she didn't notice the sheet shuffle coming from behind her, nor the small groan the man pushed when he got up slowly. She was too focused. 

"Hello…?"  
Kitsune jumped from the sudden talk, pricking her thumb with the needle a bit deeper than the other time. Letting out a small yelp of pain, she cursed the needle once again before sucking the blood that was coming from the small wound and turned back, to only meet two deep turquoise eyes. The man's gaze was confused and focused on her.   
She almost had to hold back her breath, those eyes were beautiful. Something snapped her out from her thoughts, and she immediately got up, letting aside the semi fixed dress, to immediately sit in front of him.

"Oh… Oh. You are awake. Hello, sorry for what you just saw, I didn't expect… You'd wake up that soon. Are you alright? How are you feeling?"  
The questions must have surprised the man considering how he was watching her. For a long moment, the man observed his surroundings, his blue gaze landing on the two horses, then the campfire with the food cooking and heating up slowly above it, and then his own body covered up in bandages.

"I am… Fine. I feel pretty sore, but mostly alright."  
Kitsune let out a reassured sigh. It was the first time she took care of a real person alone like this. She was definitely glad she did it correctly.

"I am glad. You had severe burns and cuts. I tried my best to heal them but some will take a lot of time…"  
She watched absent-minded at his side where the biggest bandage was, right under his shirt.

"I… You have my thanks…"  
The man tried to move, but then hissing from the pain. Kitsune panicked a bit.

"Oh- Oh please, do not move. Your body is resting. You have to sleep and eat. Are you hungry? I've been preparing a small meal. Oh, I also have water if you want."  
She rushed to her bag, taking her fresh glass bottle, and giving it to the man. He must have been very thirsty considering the fact that he drank half of it. He thanked once again the Summoner, who smiled.

"It's nothing. I couldn't let a man in such a bad state like this. Hold up a minute, dinner's almost ready. I'm gonna serve you…"  
As she had only one wooden plate and pair of clutery, she'll have to wait for him to be done before eating her part.

"There you go. You must be hungry…"  
She gave him the food, and watched him eating with a small smile. Being hungry was a good sign, he wasn't sick. She stood up, returning to the dress. As she was still trying to finish it, the man stared at her back. He observed her coat, he observed her hair, he observed her expression, he was deep in thoughts as she finally smiled and jumped.

"God damn it, finally!"  
She turned towards the man.

"I fixed your… Huuuh… Clothe. It was pretty damaged. I am not the best sewer, but this should be okay. There. If you're cold you can put it back on."  
She put the folded dress next to him as he gave her back the plate. Using some of the water she had, she washed it quickly before taking her own part. The man was very silent, still observing her.

"Do I know you?"  
He asked softly as she was eating her meal. That question made her stop.  
"... No. This is the first time we meet."

The man hesitated to say something before tilting his head to the side.  
"In that case… Who are you? You do not seem from Muspell… You have Askr's insignia on your back."

Kitsune watched him in the eyes, before smiling softly.  
"My name is Kitsune. I am Askr's Summoner. Or… Great Hero if you want, but I don't like this title. I was with my soldier group, the Order of Heroes with Princess Fjorm and Princess Gunnthrà on our way to the Temple of Glasera when a blizzard took me away and separated me from the others… And you are?"

For a moment, the man's eyes were shining, as if suddenly, there was a huge hope in his eyes. Still staying sat, he slowly bowed, letting Kitsune watch him in slight confusion.

"My name is Hríd. The eldest Prince of Nifl. I was trying to take down Surtr, King of Muspell, by myself after losing the sight of my three other siblings, but was only left with deep wounds. It is nice to meet you, Lady Kitsune."

Kitsune froze suddenly in front of the man. God. She has been that familiar with someone that she thought was a mere soldier, finding herself in front of the Prince himself.

"Huh- Wait. Prince Hríd? Oh… Oh I'm so sorry for acting so familiar with you Highness I swear I couldn't know-"  
She saw an amused light in the Prince's eyes, and he chuckled.  
"My, it's alright. I don't mind."

Kitsune wanted to bury herself deep into the ground. She was embarrassed and a bit panicking, but sighed. The Prince's face then adorned a serious expression despite the light in his eyes.

"You did say you were with the two princesses…?"  
Oh right. She probably had to explain everything that happened since Fjorm's arrival in Askr to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There he is, the Prince himself.   
> Yep, she finds him when he had attempted to fight Surtr already hehe.  
> I finally fought back my lazyness and managed to correct the chapter a bit better before posting it! Also I decided to almost entirely change a part of the story. Muspellian sisters will get their part because intsys did dirty to them sobs


	11. The Lonely Royal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kitsune gets to know the Prince a bit better, and both starts a new trip to find the Order of Heroes.

Kitsune was silent, staring without seeing the fire that was in front of them. She was sat cross legged, and the Prince was observing her, curiously. She could feel his gaze upon her, as if he was waiting with a repressed impatience. The Summoner was trying to organize her words and sentences, so she could explain everything that happened back since Askr. She wasn't really good at explaining. She often gave too many details that lost her listener.

"It all started when Princess Gunnthrà contacted me through the Rite of Dreams. At first, I didn't know what was happening. It was really blurry and foggy. But then, I finally managed to understand who she was and why she was here. She told me about Nifl's invasion and the disappearance of her siblings. She told me how they invaded, she told me about the Queen, she told me how they had to flee from the capital Hvergelmir."

As she mentioned the Queen, she saw his eyes darkening. Right… It was his mother she just talked about. What an idiot. She just recalled to him that she was dead. She wanted to slap herself but instead let out a small annoyed sigh before continuing, shaking quickly her head.

"After that, Princess Fjorm arrived in Askr, in our castle. She crossed Nifl almost entirely, then the Great Western Ocean, then a good half of Askr to reach us. By the time, a month had already passed and Nifl got completely invaded, Princess Gunnthrà told me. We, Askrans, decided to send help to you all. So we crossed the Ocean and were welcomed by an embuscade by Surtr. Fortunately we could flee without anyone being hurt."

She talked for a long time. There she was again rambling about singles details instead of going straight to the point, but Hríd was listening carefully to her.

"We reached the Temple of Snjárhof, where Princess Gunnthrà was hiding. We got her with us, and then left. Our goal was the Temple of Glasera, but then the blizzard happened. Everything would have gone fine if a Muspellian patrol didn't attack us in our shelter. We had to run away in the blizzard, and that's how I got separated from the Order due to my pegasus flying too high."

She threw a glance to Emi, but she didn't have anything to reproach him. After all she was the one directing him. He was carrying her, that was all.

"That's how I ended up here. I've been here for a day only. I'm lost, I don't know where I am heading nor where I am right now. I've escaped a patrol that knows that I'm lost and alone. In a word, I'm pretty much…"

She wanted to say the word "fucked" but saying that to a Prince wouldn't be good, she thought. He was a royal after all, moreover, someone she just met.

"... Dead. If they find me."

Hríd still watched her, as if knowing she wasn't done yet. Had he been used to how much she was talking already?

"I was gathering some clean water when I saw your horse on the opposite shore of the river. He had his saddle, bridle and ornaments, so I thought that there was someone close, and someone from Nifl considering the insignias on his blanket. So I followed him, and ended up finding you unconscious on the ground. I picked you up and brought you here where I… "Healed" you."

There, she was finally done. She was damn thirsty after talking this much. She watched the Prince's gaze laying on the ground as she drank some water. Mh, there was almost no more left, she had to get some. When Prince Hríd finally talked, his voice had a kind of surprise in it.

"You… Carried me?"  
Apparently, he was surprised that… Well, a woman way shorter than him like her could do that. Kitsune watched him before laughing.

"I wasn't expecting that question first, Highness… I did carry you, but only to put you on your horse. My strength is limited, I wouldn't be able to handle you so long, especially with your armors and heavy clothes."

She smiled, amused, while watching the dress. This thing was thick and heavy, much heavier than she thought. The Prince seemed to realize how silly that question was and he shook his head.  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like this…"

As he was searching for his words, Kitsune was washing her plate from her finished meal. This man was amusing, she thought, though he seemed way more serious than his two other sisters.

Prince Hríd passed a hand in his purple grayish hair. It was getting dark. Maybe she had to get the tent out…  
"Highness, you have to rest, and the night is coming. I hope you will feel better tomorrow because we have to move. Muspell knows I, maybe we, are here…"

The Prince tried to get up once again, and grunted, unable to move well. He was stubborn wasn't he?  
"Highness what did I just say?"  
Hríd turned his gaze on her, his brow slightly frowned. 

"I am the soldier here, Lady Kitsune. Great Hero or not, as the Royal Guard's leader, it's my job to assure the night guard, I have to at least repay what you did for me and protect you for the night- Are you listening to me?"

Kitsune hummed a melody as she was setting up the tent.

"Mhh? Oh sorry I didn't hear what you say. Highness, have you seen your state right now? You cannot even move. Trust me, you're not gonna try to do like Alfonse and be the only one not getting rest, especially like this."

Hríd was now silent. His annoyed groan reached the Summoner's ears, but she didn't care. Oh, if he wanted to play the stubborn one there, he would lose. Kitsune was well known in both Askr and her family to be one of the most stubborn persons. When she was locked in a situation, it was hard to make her change her opinion. When she opened the tent, watching him and pointing it with her finger, he sighed, resigned.

"I'm gonna help you, but I need you to be careful with how you move, is that good?"  
Hríd nodded, and she went next to him, leaning above him, passing a arm around his waist, while he passed one of his arms around her shoulder just like she put him the first time she picked him up.

"Are you gonna be alright?"  
Hríd asked, and she chuckled.  
"I made you climb on your horse unconscious, of course I will. Come on, get up slowly."

He leaned on her, and the Summoner did her best to handle him. He was trying to hold back his painful groans, but Kitsune could see that he was having a really hard time in his turquoise eyes. Gosh, why was he that tall? Kitsune hoped for a moment he was Alfonse's height, it was way easier with him. They reached the tent eventually, and Kitsune helped him laying down in her blanket.   
Once he was installed, he let out a relief sigh. 

"Are you comfy?"  
Kitsune tilted her head on the side. The Prince frowned.  
"Excuse me…?"  
Oh. He couldn't understand the word comfy. Right. Different realm.  
"I mean- Are you well installed? Comfortable?" She was often forgetting that this wasn't her world. Prince Hríd's expression softened at her question despite his rather blank expression, and he nodded.

"I am, thank you. What are you going to do, Lady Kitsune? You also need to get some sleep."  
He was staring at her from the tent as she was putting out the fire. She smiled then sighed, watching the moon rising above them.

"I'm gonna sleep soon, Highness. But for now you're the one who needs sleep. Do not worry nor care for me too much. Focus on your own resting. If you want to protect me, you have to recover."

She said with a wink to the Prince who watched her, apparently confused, before sighing.  
"I guess I cannot force you to sleep. Alright. Good night, Lady Kitsune."  
She nodded.  
"Good night, Highness."

He laid down, letting the tent open. For a second, she observed him before turning her gaze to the forest and the sky. She would watch over for a moment before getting in the tent with him. Well. She supposed she was obligated to sleep in the same tent as him. It's not that she minded, but what about him? She checked his bags earlier, and noticed that he had a ripped and broken tent, too damaged to be used, and a burned blanket, not useful either. Fortunately it wasn't too cold during the night, so she didn't bother him taking some of the blanket for himself, her coat was warm enough for that, so she used it instead as she went to sleep after an hour. 

The morning came, and when the Summoner woke up, she was alone in the tent, the blanket was covering her body. It was almost too hot for her, so she took it off. To not notice him getting up… She must have been really deeply asleep or either he was very discreet. Kitsune yawned and stretched, before opening the tent. Was he still there even? He wasn't supposed to move too much… Wait, why would he even leave, after all, weren't they supposed to be allies?   
…  
Why was she doubting about it? She opened the tent only to find Prince Hríd in front of her, turning his back. He had his mid-fixed dress and his armors put on. He seemed to be able to stand and walk without any pain anymore. Good. The healing magic was making effect. Something that was definitely impossible in her own world. He turned towards her when hearing the tent shuffling.

"You're awake. Good morning."  
Kitsune got up.  
"Good morning, Highness."

She would give literally everything to take a bath right now. She needed to clean herself a bit. If only there was a lake or a river somewhere… 

"Since when are you awake?"  
Hríd looked at the sun in the sky.  
"Since dawn."

Wow. He was a morning person. The Summoner checked really quickly the time on her phone, only to find out that it was almost 7am. Oh right, spring was starting, which meant longer days and shorter nights. The Prince was deep in his thoughts, seeing how silent he was. Slowly, to not bother him, she removed the tent, folded the blanket the prince used yesterday, and put everything back in her bag at Emi's side. After that, she dared approaching the Prince.

"Huh… Highness? I do have some questions for you."  
Prince Hríd looked at her.  
"Yes?"  
He was curious about what she could ask her.  
"Do you… Perhaps know where we are?"

The man looked around him, watching over the branches and bushes, but also a bit further away. He was silent for some seconds, as if he was trying to recall where he collapsed.

"We are… Somewhere in Hjarnhof. I would say not too far from the city of Níbel. If I remember correctly, I attacked Surtr there, and then retreated alone with my wounds… Oh. That means that we are close to the southern Hjarnhof frontier with Söđenhof, since Níbel is there."

Kitsune was lost with all those weird names, but she remembered hearing Gunnthrà talking about Hjarnhof and Söđenhof. They were the northern and southern region of Nifl, Snjárhof being the eastern one, and the western one… She didn't know it yet.

"I- We need to go to the Temple of Glasera. This is where we were heading before the blizzard."  
Hríd looked at her. 

"The Askrans and my sisters too right? Glasera… Right, the Rite of Frost."  
He frowned slightly, and Kitsune ignored why at this moment.

"If we are in Hjarnhof, then we aren't too far from the Temple of Glasera. It is hidden beneath the Heim Gates."  
The Summoner wondered what those famous gates were. She heard their name from Gunnthrà once again, but that was all.

"Say Highness… What are the Heim Gates?"  
The Prince thought again for a moment. It would be very useful if photos existed in this world, but Kitsune was definitely motivated to take some pictures of the places. Well. If she wasn't hunted by Muspell, she would have.

"The Heim Gates are gigantic ice formations, rising from the ground in different forms. Some are pics, some are blocks, some goes toward the sky, some toward the earth. The Temple of Glasera is located at the end of a canyon in this place. When you cross the canyon, there are thousands of ice pics above your head, forming a sort of icy gate. It's a mythical place, I've never been here. Only Gunnthrà and Mother, once…"

Right, he said he was the Leader of the Royal Guard. He probably had something else to do, like watch over the training of the soldiers. When she raised her head once again, his gaze was on her.  
"Tell me Lady Kitsune… Do you know how to fight?"

The Summoner stepped back, before turning towards the bag where her tome was.  
"I suppose… I know how to fight. But I prefer to say that I am not very powerful. Here. I am a mage."  
She said, showing him her book. He watched it with curiosity. It was not the kind of tome he was used to seeing with the soldiers from the army… The answer being that the tome was unique, like Gunnthrà's one. He took it in his hand, before opening it. It was the same reaction Fjorm got, a gasp escaped his lips.

"But… The pages are blank?"  
He frowned, confused, and the Summoner took back her tome.  
"It's because it has no magic. This book is able to create all the types of magic, not only one like the other tomes."  
He was interested. His eyes had this light they had yesterday when she talked about his sisters… He hummed.

"Would you agree to show me what you can do?"

He asked, carefully, his attention still focused on Färge. Kitsune smiled, amused.  
"Maybe I can. I even will, but when we will find a more suitable place… We should move, Highness."  
Kitsune closed her tome, and he blinked, realizing he was too deep into his curiosity for this singular magical book. He coughed slightly.  
"Right, excuse me."

He seemed a bit embarrassed by this moment where he let himself be dragged in this mystery. Honestly, she could understand. The first time she held the tome, she had so many questions. Why her? How? Why did the cavern where the Order discovered it have some inscriptions in english? From where this tome was? Who did it belong to? Why was she the only one able to use it? She didn't know. 

Both of them climbed on their mounts, Emi seemed happy to have a new friend. His ears were all straight and attentive to the Prince's horse. She smiled a little, amused. They were both walking toward the North, as the sun was rising slowly on their left.   
Both Kitsune and the Prince were silent. The time wasn't to speak really. They quitted their shelter, which meant that right now, they could be seen by Muspell's wyvern riders. 

“Highness. Do you think people are safe at Níbel?"  
She was talking about the city he mentioned they weren't apparently too far away from. The Prince's expression became somber. Oh, she didn't like the way his eyes were now almost empty. She didn't like his frown either. All of this was enough for her to guess what happened.

"Most of the cities in Nifl got destroyed, Lady Kitsune. The only safe place where the people can be are the hidden villages far away in the countryside…"

She knew about Hvergelmir, but…  
"Why? Why not only destroy Hvergelmir as it was the heart of Nifl…?"

She was confused, and her question must have surprised the Prince considering the gaze he gave her.  
"The cities are kind of small capitals. If you destroy them, you don't give any chances to the enemy to resist anymore."  
His voice was deep and low, as if it pained for him to say that. 

"Even if we succeeded to guide the citizens to safe villages… We can't say that the buildings are still standing. Especially under Surtr's flames."  
He continued, and Kitsune frowned at her turn. Attacking such a peaceful kingdom was ridiculous and unfair, she thought. 

They went silent for the next two hours. During these two hours, nothing really happened. They went across a small lake, and Kitsune stopped there, feeling her stomach rumbling. It was around 9am, they had a lake, perfect to at least clean a little herself and nothing in the stomach yet.

"Highness…?"

She felt herself becoming annoying, being the one still asking him things. But he knew the way, he was the one who shall be followed. Hríd turned his attention towards the Summoner.  
"Yes?"  
She looked down.  
"... I'm hungry… Do you think we can take a small break to eat something please?"

The Prince gave her a small look, before watching the surroundings and noticing the lake. He seemed to remember about the bottle. And the horses maybe were thirsty too. 

"Alright, let's do a small break."  
He said calmly before going down his stallion. He guided him toward the lake where the horse started to drink. Kitsune watched the Prince patting his horse's neck.  
"There you go Frysá. I don't even know the last time you rested correctly..."

The Summoner walked with Emi next to him, and she sighed.  
"I want to take a small bath while we're here. You'll find me behind the bushes in case of emergencies. Will you be alright? I have fruits and bread in one of Emi's side bags."

Hríd nodded, still watching the clean water. After filling up the bottle, she finally left and hid herself behind the bushes. She was a bit hesitant. How cold would the water be? She didn't really know. She had her towel with her though and that was enough. After taking off her clothes and folding them aside on the cost, she slowly put a hand in the water. Maybe it was due to her body temperature, but it wasn't as cold as she expected. She expected the same temperature as the two arctic and antarctic oceans from her realm.   
What was cold was the wind against her naked body. After shivering a little, she decided to go in the water, the time to rinse herself, then got out after 5 minutes to not catch a cold. Rubbing herself with the towel, she rolled a bit in a ball. Like this, she knew her warmth would spread more easily into her body and her cold limbs.  
When she came back, Prince Hríd was nowhere to be seen, though Frysá was still there with Emi, eating some leaves on the branches of the tree.

"Highness?"  
She called, but no answers. Where was he? Slowly, she started to look around the small place they stopped, before hearing some splash coming from the bushes behind her.  
…  
Was he…   
When she saw his clothes folded on the side, she closed her eyes. Goodness, yes he was. She turned back, before noticing something. She couldn't see him -and thank god, she didn't want to-, but she definitely noticed that he had no towel with him. Was he planning to use his clothes as a towel? In this cold? She knew he would probably get used to the cold, but risking getting hypothermia for this… Kitsune took a breath and tried to keep her voice natural.

"Highness, are you here?"  
When he answered, he didn't seem startled or surprised at all.  
"Yes I am. Do you need something?"  
The Summoner shook her head, putting down right next to his clothes her towel.

"Nothing. But I see you're bathing without having any towels to dry yourself. Please take mine, I put it above your clothes."  
For a moment, he didn't say anything, before saying simply.  
"Thank you for it."

Kitsune came back to the camp letting out a big sigh. She has been very lucky to not fall on him bathing. She would have not handled such embarrassment. Though… Well, she already saw him half-naked didn't she? When she healed his burns and wounds as he still was unconscious. She was too focused on helping him to actually notice that he was actually without his shirt. She just could remember noticing that his skin was a bit paler than on his hands.

Sitting on a dead trunk, the young woman ate an apple with a slice of bread this time. Looking at her provisions, since they were… Now two to travel, they'll have to be careful with food. There they had a week of food. Kitsune looked around. There were plenty of animals in the forest, it should be good. The Sagittae magic could take the place of actual arrows. So they had an archer, technically… Well. It would be good if she knew how to hunt. Maybe the Prince did. Maybe he'd teach her. Who knew.

When Prince Hríd came back, fully clothed again, his hair still a bit wet due to the water and holding the towel, Kitsune was holding her small bag of caramels.   
"What is it?" He asked curiously, drying his hair with rubbing them with the towel. The Summoner watching him, tilting her head on the side.

"This? These are caramels. These are sweets I am… Very fond of let's say." She said with a smile. "Is it the first time you see it?" 

Kitsune was confused when she saw him nodding. Well, caramels were a thing in Askr (and thank God) but apparently not in Nifl…  
"Do you want to try one?"  
She continued, offering him her hand with a caramel on her palm.

"It's actually very good!" 

He watched the caramel before taking up on the offer with a small hesitation. She was amused to see how his turquoise eyes were shining with curiosity before he finally tasted the sweet. He had very expressive eyes… Maybe more expressive than anyone she'd met until now. Except maybe Sharena. She watched him chewing for a bit, staying with a neutral expression as his eyes shone once again. He liked it. It made her smile a bit more.

"You seem to like it."  
He looked at her, a bit surprised before sighing with a small smile.  
"I do. Are these sweets from Askr?"

Kitsune nodded.  
"You can find some in Askr yes. In my realm too."  
Hríd frowned, confused.  
"In your realm? But… Aren't you from Askr?"

Woops. There she talked too much again. Well, at a point, he'd have noticed her strange talking and mostly her phone and probably the way she couldn't hunt nor fight correctly…

"I am… Not originally from Askr. I was summoned to Askr."  
Seeing the curious light in his eyes, she thought she'd attired his attention. He didn't even have to ask anything else, she'd talk only a little quickly about her world and that would be all for now, because they didn't have time…

"I come from a world… That we call Planet Earth. I was born in a country that doesn't know war directly. Which means that I've never been raised as a soldier. When I was summoned to Askr, I thought I was in a fantasy game."

She chuckled, remembering how panicked she was.  
"There's no such things as magic nor dragons in my realm. I learned how to use magic here, during my training at Askr's castle."  
He watched her with an even more confused gaze.  
"N… No magic? But how do you live?"

She looked around, her gaze lost in the forest.  
"Trust me, we found our ways. More than one. Some live way better than with actual magic…"

She said, and he hummed, trying to keep his questions for himself as he definitely noticed she wouldn't talk about her world with passion, apparently.  
"Shall we go, Highness?"  
When he looked at her once again, she was already up, and waiting next to her pegasus' sides.

"Oh right. Sorry for bothering you."  
He said, and Kitsune frowned.  
"You do not bother me though? I am… Not very fond of my world, that is all. But if you have other questions, I will try my best to answer them, as it is a bit complicated."

The Summoner climbed atop Emi, and watched the Prince doing the same on Frysá.   
"We should find a place where I could demonstrate what I can do in terms of magic. But we have to be aware that we are not alone, possibly here…"

The Prince nodded.  
"Understood."

And on these words, they both left the place they were taking a break in, walking away towards the devastated city of Níbel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y-yeah hello I am late- Though it's okay cause not a lot of people are hyped by this fic anyway *coughs*  
> I often kinda block writing between Kit and Hrid because my brain cannot express correctly anything when it comes to these two njdfsjhd Kit is just very observative about him.   
> I'm okay btw, struggling with school that's all.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read this.  
> Hope y'all enjoy this terrible self indulgent fic with probably the most stupid summoner aha.  
> Work will probably be updated each weeks!  
> Oh and... Kudos and comments are always appreciated. Thank you once again.


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